Shadows and Secrets
by DragonFlame91
Summary: Evani Rybek is an American girl living in Texas. Despite her seemingly normal life, she happens to be a powerful witch though she keeps it hidden. After a dangerous situation at home, she is thrust into the wizarding world and attends Hogwarts. What secrets does this mysterious girl hold? Torn between light and dark, will she help save or destroy the wizarding world? Set in OOtP.
1. Chapter 1: Captured

The American Ministry of Magic held the status throughout the world as one of the most powerful institutions. Located in Austin, Texas, the building was massive, roughly the size of a small castle. Its expensive décor reflected the attitudes of American wizards, who valued wealth and power. Despite its size, all the muggles would only see a vacant lot with a sign that read 'No Trespassing'. American wizards had been regarded as some of the strongest of their kind, up there with the likes of Albus Dumbledore. At the head of this powerful establishment was Declan Bass, a man in his early 30s. Though he obtained the position at a young age, people saw him as a prime example of leadership. He had a faithful following who listened to his every word with rapt attention and admiration. Behind his handsome appearance, however, there lied a dark side. Bass was all about power and control. He had a façade for the rest of the world that hid his true agendas.

Inside of the Ministry, there were even more secrets. Some claimed that the basement had been haunted by ghouls due to loud screams that could be heard during the night. The reality was far worse. A room could be found far beneath the Ministry. It contained concrete walls covered in dirt and blood. Some parts of the walls bore scratch marks from its trapped inhabitants. There was a single hanging light that swung back and forth ominously. At times, it flickered, casting shadows on grimy walls. In the past, the room was used to interrogate lowly criminals. They would be locked inside and subjected to unimaginable torture by the aurors. The criminals tended to be seedy men who committed horrible crimes. At the moment, the room contained a long metal table. Black powder surrounded it in a wide circle.

On top of the table was an unconscious teenage girl. She had glossy chocolate-brown hair that cascaded down her back, ending in soft beautiful curls, deep golden bronze skin, and a petite curvaceous figure. Her facial features resembled a porcelain doll. She seemed just as fragile. Her clothes consisted of a white floral mini dress with red sandals and matching red headband. A silver chained necklace with a sapphire gem in the middle hung around her neck. The petite girl began to stir. Her sapphire blue eyes took in her surroundings. She found herself unable to sit up. Her hands were restrained by chains. She did not recognize the room at all, unsure of how she got there. Her memory was very hazy. She remembered being at the local park, helping with a city fundraiser, but that happened hours ago.

"Ah, I see you're awake"

A man in his early 30s walked over, wearing an expensive suit. She felt uncomfortable around him. He smiled.

"Hello there, Evani"

"Where am I?" she asked, weakly.

"That's unimportant. You're perfectly safe"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Declan Bass"

She heard a beeping sound. He glanced down at his watch, amused.

"It's 7 AM. It's your birthday, isn't it?"

"Yes"

"How old are you?"

"14"

He touched her cheek. "So young"

She stared into his eyes, focusing hard. Something was off about him.

"July 7th…such a special day. Do you know that 7 is considered a very magical number?"

"Yes"

"Someone told me that you are extremely special"

"I've had straight As since preschool"

Bass chuckled. "I think you know exactly what I'm speaking of"

His eyes held a strange gleam. "You're a witch"

She kept her composure. Inside, she felt nervous, thinking about movies where people cut up aliens for experiments. What if he wanted to do the same to her? He took out a wand from his pocket. It looked like ones in the movies. Evani never met another wizard before. She thought she was the only one. Her town had no one magical except her. Since infancy, she could perform magic. Only her family and closest friends knew the truth.

"I'm just like you but you're something different. From what I hear, you're very gifted"

"What do you want? Why are you hurting me?"

"I'm not here to hurt you, Evani. I'm the Minister of Magic. My job is to care for all of my fellow witches and wizards in this country, including you"

"Then why am I tied down and in this dark room?"

Bass simply smiled. Though most would find it comforting, she saw it as dishonest.

"If we're playing 20 questions, I should get a few. You're the only witch in your family?"

"Yes"

His hand moved along her arm. "How is it that you don't have the Trace? Every underage wizard can be detected by it but not you. You're not even written in the Ministry records as is common when witches and wizards are born"

"I don't know. Why are"

He dug his fingers into her arm. She winced.

"I'm not finished yet. It's rude to interrupt. Manners, Evani. Now show me"

"Show you what?"

"Your magic"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't trust you"

"I won't hurt you. I'm the Min"

"You're a liar and a cheat. You manipulate people for your own selfish gain"

His grip tightened on her arm. It felt close to breaking. He looked more intrigued.

"I see my source was right. You can see my every thought and memory with just one look, can't you?"

"Yes"

"Then if you're smart, you'll do as I say"

"You don't scare me"

Though she could feel his anger rising, she would never let this man beat her down.

"Tell me what you want" she said, not breaking eye contact.

"Just you. I want you, your magic…you won't learn anything being in that pathetic muggle home. I can teach you things beyond your wildest dreams"

"I don't care. Let me go"

"It doesn't work like that. I suggest you take my offer. It would be a shame if I had to hurt your little family"

"I won't help you"

She kicked his knee. He clutched it, biting his lip in pain. In an instant, his demeanor changed. He looked far more menacing.

"I didn't want it to come to this"

The door swung open with a loud creak...


	2. Chapter 2: Escape into the woods

A group of men ranging from their 20s to 50s entered the dark room. They had symbols on their jackets of two wands crossing. Reading their minds, she found out that they were aurors, a wizard version of a cop. The younger ones looked uneasy, seeing her helpless. She watched as the aurors circled her.

"You see, Evani, you're all alone and I have all my men here. You'd be wise to cooperate"

"Let me go"

"You should be embracing this opportunity. To help your fellow wizards…"

"You're lying"

"I just want to help you, to nurture your gifts"

"You want to control me"

"Such silly ideas. You have a very overactive imagination"

"Sir, please. She's not" she heard one of the aurors say.

"Quiet, Barnes. I didn't ask for your opinion"

Bass's wand trailed along her stomach. She noticed the other aurors take out their own wands. Bass was a coward. He needed all these men just to face her, a teenage girl. The cold metal of the table mixed with his dark expression sent shivers down her spine.

"If you want to refuse my offer, I'll take another option. Do you know what it is? Let me spare you the effort of reading my mind"

He bent down to her ear. His wand pressed against her stomach.

"I know a little dark spell to remove your magic. So I can kill you and then take it for myself. How does that sound?"

Evani wondered if he was bluffing. Bass seemed like the type to make false threats for intimidation. She did not want to take the chance that he was serious. The restraints on the table constricted her wrists.

"There's no use struggling. The powder around this table possesses a magical enchantment to prevent any magic from being used within it"

Evani noticed one of the men behind Bass had a lighter in his pocket. Using her mind, she levitated it.

"So I'll ask again. What is your answer?"

"Duck"

"Duck?"

"I warned you"

The lighter opened, setting the auror on fire. He cried out, stumbling into Bass. Both of them fell to the floor. She phased through the table, coming back up outside the room. All of the aurors had stunned expressions. Bass stood up, his hair disheveled.

"What are you standing around for? Get her!"

Evani vanished from the basement. She found herself outside of a massive building. A large sign read _'American Ministry of Magic: Trust in Us'_. It was raining heavily. She sensed the aurors racing towards the doors. Quickly, she ran deep into a set of woods. They were right behind her. She kept running. One of them attempted to tackle her. She ducked at the last second, letting them fall into the dirt. Evani continued to run. She didn't want to hurt these people. They were just following Bass's orders. Despite having her abilities, she never used them for malicious purposes. She hid behind a few trees, watching them run past. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth.

She elbowed the person hard in the stomach. Turning around, she conjured a ball of fire. The light from the flames showed a young guy around 20. He had messy dark brown hair, chocolate-brown eyes, and an extremely muscular build. His arms could pass off as tree trunks. The guy towered over her small 5'3" frame. She saw the auror symbol on his jacket.

"If you tell him I'm here, I'll"

"I'm not. I won't hurt you"

Immediately, she recognized his voice. He was the auror who spoke up against Bass.

"How do I know that?"

"You can trust me"

"That's not a good argument. You're the first wizards I've ever met and you're not making a good first impression"

To her confusion, his lips twisted into a small smile. "What part of this do you find amusing?"

"I'm sorry"

"Where am I?"

"Austin. Where do you live? I'm guessing somewhere nearby with that accent"

"That is none of your business"

"You know,I'm trying to help you"

"Well I'm sorry to say that I don't trust you yet"

He did an exaggerated bow. Evani suppressed a smile. She pretended to be unaffected.

"Caleb Barnes, newly appointed auror to the American Ministry"

"Is that supposed to impress me? That you kidnap people?"

"Evani"

"It is Miss Rybek to you"

"Alright. Miss Rybek, I had no part in taking you yesterday. Bass doesn't tell newbies too much. Now if you'd like my assistance to help you escape"

"Excuse me?"

"I was"

Evani crossed her arms over her chest. "Do I look like a Disney princess?"

"Disney? Is that a muggle thing?"

"Meaning I do not need a prince charming to save me. I am perfectly capable of handling myself"

"I can see that. Nice trick with the lighter"

She could hear shouting in the distance. Caleb waved his wand. More trees appeared, covering them.

"Go. I'll distract them"

"Thank you"

She pecked his cheek. "It's Evie"

"What?"

"No one calls me Evani unless it's a formal thing. Everyone just calls me Evie"

Evani ran towards a small clearing near a lake. Before she could go across the lake, a jet of red light whizzed past her. It was one of the aurors, a man in his late 40s.

"Got you, girly. You think you can disobey Bass? The Ministry controls you. You're under his rule"

As he raised his wand, he started to say some words. "Petrificus to"

She grabbed his wrist to prevent the spell. He backed away from her. His body became pale and skeletal. His eyes rolled back into his head. Stiff as a board, he fell into the lake. She covered her mouth, frightened. That had never happened before. She waited for him to come back up, thinking it was a temporary effect.

"You little brat"

Another man grabbed her roughly. She struggled against his grip.

"Thought you could get away?"

"Get off me!"

"I got her! She's right h"

Evani focused all of her energy. He cried out in pain, letting go. The man fell to his knees.

"Make it stop! What are you doing to my head?"

He reached for his wand. She picked it up.

"Be polite and I'll stop"

"I'll kill you myself, you little bi"

He grabbed his cheek. It began to rot like a decaying corpse. Some skin fell off, leaving a hole.

"You need to learn manners"

Before he could attack her, she said "Sleep"

He fell unconscious. She vanished from the woods, landing inside of an expensive mansion...


	3. Chapter 3: The Dursleys

The mansion was large enough to fit ten castles inside. As she hurried down the hallway, she saw pictures of her at various ages, some with her parents, a couple in their mid thirties. A few of them contained her seventeen year old brother Jayce. She sneaked into her bedroom. Hopefully, no one would be awake yet. She conjured a piece of paper and wrote a note to her family. Bass's threat could not be taken lightly. She did not want to endanger them. In her note, she claimed that she was going to New York to take part in a summer science program. She attached a fake e-mail from a college to back up her claim. It would throw off Bass's trail and give her parents comfort when they discovered her to be missing. She crinkled her nose. One of her tote bags appeared. Inside, she had some of her belongings miniaturized. She placed the note on her bed. Evani crinkled her nose again. A copy of her appeared, wearing the same outfit.

"Take the car and go to the local airport. Ask for the Rybek jet and have them take you to Manhattan where you'll be at the NYU science program. You're going to stay in our penthouse there and pretend to be attending the program every day. My parents will believe it since I kept getting letters from the college to do their program and I was thinking about going"

The fake version of her nodded and vanished in an instant. She left her bedroom. As she passed one of the doors, she stopped. It was her achievement room. Her parents kept every award and trophy that she ever received in here to highlight her accomplishments. On her birthday, they placed her presents inside because they called her the biggest achievement of all. There was an enormous stack of presents that filled the entire room. Her heart sank. How would her parents react when they came to wish her a happy birthday and found just a small note? She told herself it was for the best to protect them. Honestly, Evani had no idea where to go. Considering Bass was a wizard, he could easily use magic to figure out her usual hangouts. The aurors would search for her at any close relative's home. She closed her eyes, clutching her bag.

"I need somewhere safe. Somewhere that they can't find me. Somewhere they won't expect"

Evani felt her surroundings change. It was slightly colder and windier. She took out her phone to figure out her location.

"I'm in Surrey…well they'll never think of that"

Crinkling her nose, she conjured a red coat with a hood. She put it on to warm herself up and hide her cuts from the Ministry encounter. Her wrists were aching due to those restraints. She knew it would look suspicious if she bought a house. Despite her family's immense wealth, no 14-year-old could live alone.

"Privet Drive" she said, reading a sign.

She walked along the sidewalk, taking in the neighborhood. All of the houses looked exactly alike with similar car models, house décor, and even landscaping. She stopped at one house. Evani was able to sense three people inside. After a few minutes, she had their entire back-story. They were just a regular middle class family called the Dursleys. Evani used her magic to implant fake memories in the mother's head. It would make her believe that Evani's mother was a close family friend and that Evani would be staying due to a local advanced school program. She made it seem like Petunia had been going on about Evani's arrival for weeks. Once she finished, she went over to the door.

She knocked on it lightly. The door opened to reveal a woman in her late 30s. Her face slightly resembled a horse. Evani feigned a smile. The woman gasped.

"Oh Evani, dear. What are you doing here so early?"

"Well the program starts tomorrow and my mom thought it was best to come now"

"Come inside"

She ushered the petite girl into the house. Evani took down her hood. For a second, she saw a flash of white move from upstairs. She got distracted by Mrs. Dursley speaking.

"I hope the flight wasn't too bad"

"Not at all. Thank you for letting me stay with you, Mrs. Dursley"

"Dear, you're practically family"

Mrs. Dursley hugged her. She imagined that it was her own mother.

"Vernon is in the kitchen. He hasn't seen you since you were a baby. You'll get to meet Dudley as well. I know you two will get along"

"Can't wait"

Evani followed her into a medium-sized kitchen. At a circular table, she spotted a man in his late 30s, reading a newspaper. He was overweight with greying dark hair and a thick mustache. An image of a pig in people clothes flashed in her mind. She kept telling herself it was for the best. The man looked up from the newspaper.

"Vernon, Evani came a day early"

The portly man was staring at her. To her annoyance, his eyes rested briefly on her chest. She smiled sweetly.

"Look at you, all grown up"

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Dursley"

Evani was forced to sit down. "Let me get you lunch, dear. You must be starving"

"I can get"

"You're a guest. You won't be lifting a finger"

She expected Mrs. Dursley to bring the food on the counter over. To her confusion, she said "Boy! Get down here!"

A guy around 15, who had similar features to Mr. Dursley, entered the kitchen, yawning. He was roughly the same weight as him but more burly.

"Mom, you woke me up" he whined.

Evani glanced at her phone. It was already noon. How could he still have been sleeping? Mrs. Dursley smiled.

"It's time for lunch, pumpkin. Dudley, I want you to meet someone very special. This is Evani Rybek"

As he looked at Evani, she waved politely. His mouth was hanging open. Due to her looks, she got used to the attention. Guys always flirted with her, most making idiots of themselves. They tried anything and everything to impress her. Some could barely speak to her, being too nervous.

"Her mother and I are old friends. She's from the states"

"Hey"

"Why don't you two get acquainted? Vernon, help me get _him_"

Evani wondered who she meant. Did someone else live in the house? As his parents left, Dudley sat beside her…

~Harry~

Harry was lying on the grass, hidden among his aunt's flowerbed of hydrangeas, roses, and tulips. The window above him had been left open to let in a nonexistent breeze. From inside the house, he could hear the daily news. Harry spent most of his time outside, hoping to hear some kind of news about Voldemort that muggles would mistake for something far less dangerous. He glanced up at the sky, waiting to see Hedwig, his snowy owl, return. All summer, he had hoped for some news from his friends. Ron, Hermione, and even Sirius were being very secretive. Their messages contained little to no information. Harry was sure that Ron and Hermione were together, hanging out at the Burrow and having fun while he wasted his time at the Dursleys. The Daily Prophet did not help much either. To his confusion, there were no reports about how to protect one's self against the death eaters. How could the wizarding world act so calm when just a few weeks ago, he had seen Voldemort return to his full form? He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear about some new celebrity couple or the talents of a water-skiing squirrel.

Harry began to see images from that night in the graveyard. He tensed up at the sight of a jet of bright green light.

"Vernon!"

The sound of his aunt's shrill voice brought him back to reality.

"Don't make a mess at the table. Evani will be here tomorrow"

Harry rolled his eyes. For the past week, Aunt Petunia had gone on about some girl named Evani. She was the daughter of an old family friend from the states. Harry remembered her mentioning Texas. Aunt Petunia allowed her to stay at the house while she attended some fancy school program for smart kids. If they were friends with the Dursleys, they were most likely just as horrid. Harry could only imagine this girl as a female Dudley. Her parents probably paid off the school to let her into the program.

"Where's the boy?"

"Upstairs, I think"

"I hope he doesn't bother her. I won't have her frightened of his nonsense"

"He knows better, Petunia. The boy won't use that—abnormality in the house"

Harry scoffed under his breath. The Dursleys saw him as some freak. They were the real monsters. He would respect this brat if she did the same for him. Harry got up, walking towards the back of the house. Suddenly, his scar burned. He winced, touching it. Fear raced through him at the thought of Voldemort appearing in Little Whinging. The burning sensation was different from the other times he felt Voldemort nearby. He glanced around, frantically. Passing it off as nothing, he climbed the rose wall on the side of the house to get up to the 2nd floor.

As he got through a window, he heard a knock at the front door.

"Oh, who could that be?"

He hid at the top of the stairs, holding his wand. Would the death eaters be dumb enough to just walk into his house? He was prepared for any sort of attack. Aunt Petunia opened the door.

"Oh Evani, dear. What are you doing here so early?"

He stuffed his wand back into his pocket, annoyed. It was just the new guest.

"Well the program starts tomorrow and my mom thought it was best to come now"

Harry's stomach twisted into knots at the sound of her voice. It was sweet and melodic. Her American accent reminded him of a Western movie he watched in history class in primary school.

"Come inside"

Aunt Petunia pulled a girl into the house. Her face was covered by the hood of her red coat. She had golden tanned skin that seemed to shine and a very petite figure. As she took down her hood, Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. The American girl had shiny chocolate-brown hair that fell past her shoulders in soft curls, shimmering sapphire eyes that shined like stars, rosy cheeks, and soft pink lips. Harry doubted she could be real. He had a strong urge to fulfill her every desire. It reminded him of seeing veela at the Quidditch World Cup but ten times worse. That burning sensation in his scar returned. Ignoring it, he kept staring at the girl. He dashed up to his room. Laying on his bed, he could only think about her. He did not even know this girl but she consumed his every thought.

"Boy! Get down here!" he heard Aunt Petunia shout.

Ignoring her, he imagined Evani's face. Hedwig flew through the window, landing on his desk. There were three notes attached to her leg.

"I'll read them later, Hedwig"

He got distracted by the sound of two pairs of heavy footsteps on the stairs…


	4. Chapter 4: Adjusting

As his parents left, Dudley sat beside her. There was an awkward tension in the kitchen.

"You don't have to call me Evani. Evie's fine. Is someone else here?"

"No. It's no one"

"But your parents"

"It's not important"

He looked her over like some tasty hamburger. "I could give you a little tour later"

"Thanks. That would be nice"

"You want to start with my bedroom?"

Evani hid her disgust. He scooted his chair a lot closer. She immediately inched hers back. Dealing with Dudley might be worse than facing Bass.

"You should go to my boxing tournament today"

"Oh, you box?"

"Junior inter-school champion"

"Impressive" she lied.

Evani did not see anything interesting about boxing. Why should he celebrate being able to punch someone hard enough to knock them out? He bragged about being undefeated. This led to a long story about knocking out a guy, who remained unconscious for twenty minutes. She found it hard to look interested.

"Exciting"

"So how about that to"

Before he could finish, his parents re-entered the kitchen. They had expressions of irritation and displeasure on their faces. She noticed another guy behind them, who looked nothing like the Dursleys. He had disheveled jet black hair, soft emerald-green eyes, and a somewhat muscular build. Round glasses rested on his nose, making him even cuter. His clothes were far too big for him. She assumed that they belonged to Dudley.

"I shouldn't have to come get you, boy"

"Do you expect me to apologize?" he replied, sarcastically.

Mr. Dursley glared. "You'll show respect or I'll throw you out of this house"

"I'm shaking"

"Don't make me put you back in that cupboard"

Her eyes widened slightly. Part of her regretted staying with these people. With each passing minute, they sounded like monsters. He went over to the counter to get plates. How could they treat him so poorly? Mrs. Dursley sat beside her with a cup of coffee.

"Diddy, eat fast so we can get to your tournament in time"

"Well if he'd hurry up"

She watched the guy give a plate to each Dursley. He kept his head down the entire time. Evani had an ability to sense emotions. She only felt sadness from him. Even with her own situation, it broke her heart. It was awful that they considered him to be a servant to them. Dudley immediately dug into his food. He reminded her of a lion ripping apart a carcass. Did he have any manners?

"The fourth plate is for our guest"

As he carried the plate, Dudley stuck his leg out. He tripped, falling to the floor. Her eyes widened. Dudley sniggered cruelly into his glass of soda. The plate shattered.

"You'll be paying for that" snarled Mr. Dursley.

"We should get going. The match starts in an hour"

"I'm going to stay and unpack" she told Mrs. Dursley.

"If you're sure, dear. Your room is the third on the right"

"Thanks. Good luck, Dudley"

As the three of them left, not even helping the poor guy, he winked at her. She shuddered. Once they were gone from the kitchen, she got up from the table. The guy wiped gravy from his face. As his hair moved, she could see a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. She never saw a scar like that before. Concerned, she held out her hand. He grabbed it. An intense spark surged through her body. It surprised her. He stood up.

There was food all over his shirt. She picked up his glasses from the floor. They had small cracks. Secretly, she used magic to fix them. He was paler than before. She smiled.

"Hi. I'm Evie"

He did not say anything. She could feel his nerves.

"What's your name?"

He stayed silent. "Here"

She grabbed a napkin from the table to clean him off. Once he was food-free, she put his glasses on for him.

"So are you" she started.

He practically ran from the kitchen. She was confused by his behavior. Not wanting to push it, she looked at the mess on the floor.

"Clean up, go away. Make it look like yesterday"

All of the food vanished, leaving a spotless floor. The plate repaired itself, returning to its spot in a cabinet. She picked up her bag and walked up the staircase. Going down the hallway, she stopped at her room. It was even smaller than her walk-in closet.

"Sacrifices…it's to keep everyone safe"

Her wrist seared with pain as she shut the door. She sat on the bed, taking off her coat. The restraints had left deep wounds around both wrists. She crinkled her nose, causing her wrists to glow gold. The wounds healed themselves. It was like nothing ever happened. She sat on her bed, taking out her laptop.

Within seconds, she got on her Splash page. It was filled with "Happy Birthdays!" and other comments. She already missed her family and friends. A screen popped up, saying 'Web chat request: Brice Rybek'. She wanted to talk to her father but had no idea what to say. Reluctantly, she closed the screen. She could not risk any contact with her family. Honestly, she had no idea what Bass was capable of, especially being some Minister of Magic. She locked the door with her mind. Once she sound proofed the room, she touched the laptop screen with her hand.

"American Ministry of Magic in Dallas, Texas"

Her magic hacked into the Ministry's computer system. A series of files appeared. She got into their cameras. It showed tons of people walking around.

"Show me Declan Bass's office"

The camera switched to an enormous office. Bass was sitting at a desk, looking irked. He opened a drawer, placing a silver watch on his desk. Her eyes widened, recognizing it. He prodded it with his wand.

"You must be locked. Alohomora"

A small bubble of light prevented the spell from striking the watch. His fists clenched. The door opened as two of the aurors from this morning entered.

"Well, Grignard?"

"No sign of her, sir" said the older man in his 50s.

Bass stood up, angrily. "What?!"

"She's gone. We can't track her. We checked every relative's home, even in other countries"

"I questioned her parents. They said she's in New York for a science program. Her parents own a private plane. It took her to New York so it's possible she's there" said the other man, attempting to appease him.

"Then go there and get her. I'm not letting her slip away. If you don't, you'll face the consequences" She grabbed her purse.

Digging around inside, she removed a small robotic bee. Its eyes glowed and its wings fluttered.

"Hey, Bumble. I need you to go find Declan Bass. We need to do a little spying, okay?"

Bumble was a mixture of technology and magic. She made it, along with a few other gadgets, years ago. It was the perfect tool to stay steps ahead of the Ministry. She made it disappear. On the screen, she could see Bumble land on Bass's neck. It buried itself inside. For a second, Bass touched his neck.

"Sir?"

"Just do your job, Grignard"

"Yes, sir. We'll find her as fast as we can"

She minimized the files, going back to her profile page. There were news articles about her family. One newspaper talked about her father's new club opening. Evani's family was one of the wealthiest in the world, being from old money. Her father had an extensive business that dealt with hotels, restaurants, and clubs. He owned places in countries from the United States to Japan. Her mother was an heiress to the DuBois fashion line. The influence of the Rybeks could be felt everywhere. Evani spent the entire day holed up in her room. She did not want to deal with the Dursleys. They were the worst people imaginable. Part of her wanted to talk to that other guy. He seemed much more interesting. Around midnight, she started to get drowsy. She took out a small teddy bear with a polka dot ribbon around its neck. Her father had given it to her when she was born. Evani took it anywhere she went. It always reminded her of him. Lying on the bed, she clutched the bear to her chest.

"It'll be okay, Dot. We won't be here long"

She fell asleep,trying to forget the day's events…


	5. Chapter 5: You're a witch!

-Three weeks later- Living with the Dursleys had been a complete nightmare. Evani never met a more horrid group of people. It took her superb acting skills to pretend to be fine in her situation. She knew she had to stick it out until the mess back in Texas died down. Her acting also allowed her to find out the identity of the mysterious guy. According to Mrs. Dursley, his name was Harry Potter, their nephew. He barely left his room. If they ever crossed paths, he would stare at the floor, hurrying past her. Evani was curious about him. She felt this weird connection. Despite her efforts to talk to him, he never spoke.

Every day, she used her laptop to check progress on the Bass problem. He was getting frustrated by the minute. Her fake trail to New York worked perfectly. The aurors stormed the school and figured out it was a mere copy. They had no idea where she went. Her parents and friends would attempt to call often. She claimed that the science program was really rigorous so it meant zero time to talk. Evani would only leave short texts, never divulging her location or too much information. While the Dursleys assumed she went to a school program nearby, she actually spent time sitting in the park. Evani loved being around nature. It let her relax and forget any of her problems. She was sitting at a pond by the park, with a sketchbook beside her. Conjuring a piece of bread, she broke off pieces, feeding it to a few small ducks. One of the ducks waddled onto the grass, dipping its bill into her hand. She smiled.

"Hi little guy. Sit still"

Evani began to draw the duck in her sketchbook. Loud laughter caught her attention. Peering over the bushes, she saw Dudley and his gang of friends. They were the stereotypical teenage boys, perverted and moronic. At the Dursleys' home, Dudley would bully Harry constantly. It disgusted her, considering that they were cousins. Dudley and his friends made it a habit to make obscene gestures and use cheesy pick-up lines on her on a daily basis. They could not be more crass and disgusting. Their activities included bullying children in the neighborhood. Dudley would boast to her about his strength. It was not a turn-on for her. As they walked down the sidewalk, they threw rocks at passing cars or kids.

Her eyes went up to the sky. To her surprise, a snowy owl was flying around.

*That's strange* she thought, not used to seeing an owl during the day.

She smiled, watching it. A large rock struck its left wing. She heard Dudley's gang's laughter once more. Concerned, she ran quickly, using magic to enhance her speed. She was able to catch the owl before it hit the ground. Its wing bent at an awkward angle. She carried it back towards the lake. Laying it on the grass, she said "It's okay. I'll fix you up"

There were a few envelopes tied around its leg. She took the letters off, placing them aside. The owl was hooting softly. She touched its broken wing.

"Don't worry. No one's going to hurt you, girl"

Her fingertips glowed bright gold. She placed them on the wing carefully. To calm the injured bird down, she placed her hand against its beak.

"If you want, you can bite down when it starts to hurt"

Her magic began to take effect.

"Hedwig?" The owl hooted.

"Just a few more minutes"

Suddenly, someone jumped out from the bushes. It was Harry! Before Evani could hide anything, he said "You're a witch!"

Her eyes widened. The glow disappeared from her fingers. She was silent. *What do I do?* To her confusion, he looked…excited?

"I can't believe it"

As he spoke animatedly, she secretly tried to erase his memory. She was beginning to get rid of the images of her doing magic.

"Hey!" he shouted.

She was taken aback. The connection between them broke. "You're trying to erase my memory. I know what it's supposed to feel like"

Evani didn't say a word. "Why aren't you saying anything? Look"

From his jeans pocket, he took out a light brown wand with a tree trunk handle. She was reminded of the night running from the aurors. They all had wands of different colors and styles. "See? I'm a wizard. I—I didn't mean to scare you…please say something"

"Why should I? You ignored me for the past two weeks like I'm some leper"

"N—no. I—I just"

Instantly, Harry began stuttering and looking nervous. His face turned slightly red. "I—I'm s—so—sorry. I was…"

She read his thoughts and memories, seeing a graveyard and another guy being killed in front of Harry. Not wanting to scare him, she kept it to herself.

"I didn't mean to do it. I've had a rough few weeks"

"I understand"

He sat beside her. No longer looking anxious, he had an eager expression on his face. "I'm"

"I know. I had to get it from your aunt. I'm Evie"

His eyes went to the owl. "Hedwig. What happened to her?"

"This is your owl?" He nodded.

"I got her on my 11th birthday. What's wrong with her wing?"

"Dudley hit her with a rock"

"Git"

"I can fix her. Can you just—close your eyes?"

"Why?"

"Cause she might bleed and it would be hard for you to watch. So you can go back to the house and I'll bring her in like 5 minutes"

Harry looked at her, confused. She knew it didn't sound convincing. Unlike Bass, Harry seemed innocent and sweet. She doubted that he was going to reveal himself as some sadistic psychopath.

"Evie, what's going on?"

She sighed, reluctantly trusting him. "You're like the second wizard I've ever met"

"What? Don't you go to a school in the states?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"I never knew that there were other people like me until"

The memory of the Ministry incident was too painful. She didn't like thinking about it. "I just don't have a good impression of wizards"

"You can trust me"

"You can't tell anyone. It stays a secret. Promise?"

"I promise"

Her fingers began to glow again. She used her healing ability to fix Hedwig's wing. After a minute, it was fully healed.

"Don't let her fly. Here"

She conjured a small basket, placing Hedwig inside. Harry was staring at Evani, his eyes flickering down to her fingers that lost their glow.

"Harry"

"H—how did you do that?"

"Magic"

"How can you use it if you're under 17?"

"I always could"

"I've never seen anything like that" he replied, amazed.

"I guess I'm different"

He picked up the basket. She put her sketchbook back into her bag. Together, they walked back to the Dursleys' house…


	6. Chapter 6: Getting to know Harry

She followed him up to his room. It was a bit messy with clothes and other objects scattered around the floor. Blushing, he made space on his bed. She sat down on the edge. Harry carefully placed Hedwig into a small golden cage. Evani smiled, watching him be so gentle and caring. She couldn't explain this strange connection to him. Glancing around, she noticed a stack of books under his bed. She picked one up. It was called 'Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland'. Harry sat beside her.

"What's quidditch?"

"Best sport ever. They play it in the wizarding world"

"There's a whole world of wizards?"

"Yea. It's everywhere but hidden with spells and charms. You really don't know anything"

"No"

"Quidditch is like a mix of football and basketball but on brooms"

"Like brooms that you sweep with?"

"Sort of except wizards use them to fly"

Evani was reminded of the stereotypical witch portrayed in movies and TV shows. She always found them to be a bit comical. Were actual witches and wizards just the same, brewing strange potions and flying around on broomsticks? She opened the book. The pictures were moving, showing men on fancy brooms carrying small black bats and a large red ball. She thought that it must be a trick of the light. When one of the men waved at her, it caught her off guard.

"They're moving"

"All the pictures there do. It's an enchantment"

She looked at Harry, interested. "How long have you known that you were…"

"A wizard?" Evani nodded.

"Since I was 11. That's when I got my letter to Hogwarts"

"Hogwarts?"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Best wizarding school in the world"

"Tell me everything about wizards"

"I don't know a lot. We'd need my friend Hermione for that"

Harry began telling her about Hogwarts. As she listened, she found herself wanting to know more. It was incredible. The idea of being around wizards seemed appealing. She always wanted to meet others like her. Going to a school to learn magic would be a dream come true. Her phone rang. As she reached into the bag, she spotted the letters from Hedwig. "Oh, I forgot. Hedwig had these" She handed him the letters. Harry opened them, eagerly. Within a split second, his expression changed. He looked disappointed and frustrated.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yea, of course"

He tossed the letters into a trash can. Turning to her, he said "Tell me about you"

"Like what?"

"Everything"

Evani told him about her life back in Texas. She mentioned things like her family and activities. The entire time, Harry had this weird gleam in his eyes.

"Harry?"

He snapped out of a daze. "So you've never gone to a magical school?"

"No"

"But shouldn't the Ministry know that you're a witch?"

"Oh they do" she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing. I don't have something called a Trace. It's why they didn't know"

"Who's the other wizard you know?"

"He's a wizard cop"

"An auror?"

"Yea"

Her phone kept ringing. She ignored it, knowing it was either her parents or her friends. Harry looked over at her phone.

"Do you want to get that?"

"No. It's not important"

"Maybe I could get you into Hogwarts"

"Really?"

He nodded, animatedly. "You'd love it. I could send a letter to the headmaster. You could even read my old books so you can catch up"

"That sounds"

As she thought about it more, the idea of Hogwarts became less ideal. What if everyone reacted to her abilities like Bass? She didn't want to keep being on the run. Harry had already called her magic abnormal. Would other wizards, even the teachers, want to take her magic for themselves? She could handle one wizard but hundreds would be a different story. Harry looked at her, expectantly.

"Like a nice offer but…I couldn't leave Texas"

"You already have"

"This is different. My mom hates us apart and being an entire world away? It'd kill her"

"I don't think that's it"

"Course it is"

"If it was, you'd answer your mom's calls. She's called 10 times now"

"See? Overprotective"

He grabbed her phone. She tried to get it from him. He held it out of her reach. Standing up, he tapped the screen.

"Harry, that's mine"

"You've missed 100 calls in the past week alone"

"I've been really busy with my science program"

"You were sitting by the lake. You weren't anywhere near the school"

"I finished my experiment early"

"Then you could've called her back"

"I can do it later"

"Then I'll call her"

"No!"

Evani tackled him off of the bed. They hit the floor. She was on top of him. The phone landed near his dresser. She picked it up, making it vanish. To her confusion, he grabbed his wand. He pointed it at her throat. Was this some weird wizard game?

"Are you really a teenage girl? Or a death eater in disguise?"

"Death what?" she asked, looking at him strangely.

"Did you take polyjuice potion? Did Voldemort send you to kidnap me?"

"Harry, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in a disguise"

"I'm supposed to believe that? Why won't you let me use the phone then? Scared I'll hear Voldemort on the other end?"

Harry sounded very paranoid. She knew it had to do with the graveyard incident. Did this Voldemort guy try to hurt him? The tip of his wand glowed red. He started to open his mouth.

"Because my mom thinks I'm in New York. I lied to my parents about going to a science program and your aunt doesn't really know my mom. I faked memories in her head to think they were friends and that I was staying to go to a science program here. I did all that because I'm hiding from these wizards that want to kill me" she blurted out in one breath.

She felt relieved, getting it off of her chest. Harry lowered his wand, eyes wide. He was no longer thinking that she was some death-muncher or whatever he called her.

"K—kill you?"

"They kidnapped me the night before I came. I had been at a fundraiser and I guess they knocked me out with a spell. I was tied up and there was this guy. He said he was a Minister of Magic. He knew I was a witch somehow and he threatened me. I got away but I couldn't stay home. So I left and ended up here. I just picked your family because they seemed normal and those aurors wouldn't think I'd live here, considering my family's lifestyle"

Going over to his desk by Hedwig's cage, he grabbed a piece of paper. He started writing on it. She watched him scribbling quickly. Evani attempted to read the note.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing to Hogwarts to get you in"

"No"

She crinkled her nose. The paper ripped into small pieces. She understood Harry's intentions but couldn't let him get involved. It was bad enough that she told him about her problem.

"Evie"

"I don't want to go"

"You have to. You have an entire Ministry after you. If he threatened you, this guy won't stop until he gets you"

"I can't go there"

"Why not? It's perfectly safe"

"You're really nice but—I can't trust wizards"

"They wouldn't do that to you. No one would"

"You don't know that. You're not like me, Harry"

"I—I know but"

She grabbed his hand. This spark went through her body. It was a strange feeling. She looked deep into his eyes. If he wouldn't cooperate, she was prepared to force him with magic.

"Promise you won't say anything about this to anyone"

He looked reluctant. "Harry"

"I promise"

"Dudley, Evani, it's time for dinner" she heard Mrs. Dursley say.

Evani left the room. Dudley was passing by. He glared at Harry's closed door.

"Was my freak cousin bothering you?"

"No. We were talking"

"Don't bother. He's a loser"

"Don't talk about him like that"

"I'm much more interesting" he said, smirking as he leaned against the wall.

"I doubt that"

Throwing him a disgusted look, she walked away, going down to the kitchen…


	7. Chapter 7: Surprise visits

-Two weeks later- After the incident in his room, Evani became much closer to Harry. They spent all of their time together. Both of them began to trust each other greatly. Each day, Harry would tell her stories about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. He told her about his dangerous adventures, including killing a basilisk to save his friend Ron's sister. The subject of Lord Voldemort came up a lot. According to Harry, he was the darkest wizard of all time. He killed tons of people and despised muggleborns, people like Evani without a magical heritage.

When Harry was a baby, Voldemort murdered his parents but when he tried to do the same to Harry, the curse rebounded. That caused Harry's unique scar and Voldemort vanished. He was able to resurrect himself with a potion during a tournament where Harry and another Hogwarts student named Cedric Diggory competed against other magical schools. During the final task, Harry and Cedric grabbed the Triwizard Cup, transporting them to a graveyard. Harry barely escaped and found out that one of his professors was a follower of Voldemort in disguise. Evani could hardly believe it. The whole situation sounded like something out of a horror film.

It was the reason for Harry's paranoia. He worried about Voldemort showing up at Privet Drive to kill him. Making matters worse, his friends never answered his questions. They kept him in the dark about events in the wizarding world. Evani started to show him some of her abilities. He found them fascinating. By showing off, she learned that she was far from a normal witch. Something that seemed simple to her, such as manipulating the elements, shocked him. Despite her protests, he continued to bring up the idea of her attending Hogwarts.

Harry made it a habit to boast about the school to entice her. None of his plans worked. Evani still refused, worried about how people would react to her abilities. When everyone fell asleep, she watched over Bass and the Ministry through her laptop. She sensed that he was getting more agitated by the day. Luckily, he still had no clues to finding her. Evani and Harry were laying outside the house by the garden.

"You know, at Hogwarts, the ceiling mimics the sky. You can't see how great it is until you're actually there"

"Harry, it's not working"

"I think I'm breaking you down"

She giggled. "Have you heard anything from Ron or Hermione?"

"No. Sirius won't answer me either"

"Maybe it's for the best. They don't want to worry you"

"But it affects me. Voldemort wants me, Evie" "Just forget about that creep and his weird teenage boy obsession" "Evani, dear"

Evani sat up. Mrs. Dursley was standing by the front door. She pursed her lips, seeing Harry beside her.

"Your brother's here to see you"

"My brother?" she asked, confused.

"Yes. He's in the kitchen. I think he missed you. Come inside"

Harry looked at her. "How could your brother know you're here?"

"He can't. There's no way…"

They entered the kitchen together. Evani's eyes widened. Instead of her brother Jayce, she saw Mrs. Dursley giving a cup of coffee to Caleb.

"Thank you"

"It's no trouble, dear. I'll leave you two alone. Tell your mother I said hello"

As Mrs. Dursley left the kitchen, Caleb glanced around.

"These muggles clean better than a house-elf. My mom wishes ours could do this good"

Evani conjured a ball of fire in her hand. She was prepared if Bass's men were going to ambush her.

"He's not my brother. He works for Bass"

"Evie, just hear me out"

Harry took out his wand. "Get out now. If you tell him she's here, I'll"

Caleb stood up, looking unfazed. "You'll what? You're still in school and that scar doesn't let you break the rules"

Keeping Evani behind him, Harry glared. She noticed Caleb stare at Harry's scar for a few seconds. Harry raised his wand, pointing it at Caleb's chest.

"You're not taking her"

"I just want to talk. Look"

He threw his wand over to Harry. While Harry put it in his pants pocket, he continued glaring at Caleb.

"How did you find me here?" she asked, keeping her guard up.

"Your scent" Caleb crossed his arms. "I'm a purebred werewolf"

"I know a werewolf. He can't just sniff people out like a dog" argued Harry.

"Then he's a mutt. Both my parents are werewolves too. My family's from a long line of them. Purebreds can shift whenever they want and have heightened senses"

"Is that true?" she whispered to Harry. He shrugged.

"I tracked you here when I was at your house"

"Why were you"

"Your family's fine. Bass sent us while they were gone. I got your scent from your bed and it led me here"

"What do you want?"

"Can we talk alone? He looks ready to stab me"

"That's not happening" replied Harry.

"Go make sure your aunt doesn't come in"

"Evie" he whispered. "It'll be okay"

Harry shut the door. She turned to Caleb.

"So let me guess. You picked a random house to stay in"

"Yes"

"And it just so happens to have the famous Harry Potter. Not very subtle"

"I didn't know he was famous"

"I figured"

"Why are you here?"

"I was worried. You just disappeared"

"That's the point"

"I want to help you"

"I don't need your help"

Caleb walked over to her. A piece of paper appeared in his hand. He gave it to her. There was an address written on the paper.

"That's my apartment. It's unplottable so no one knows where it is unless I tell them. If you need somewhere safer to stay"

"Thanks"

She heard a beeping sound. He took out a small black rectangle with glowing gold words.

"That's Bass. I should get going. Accio"

His wand zoomed through the door. He caught it, putting it into his pocket. Caleb looked like he wanted to say something. Harry re-entered the kitchen.

"Just be careful" In an instant, he vanished.

"He seems nice"

"He helped me escape that morning. He's one of the nicer ones like you"

"Do you want to go to the lake?"

"Sure" They went to their usual spot by the lake, joking around…

~Caleb~

Caleb had just apparated back to the American Ministry. He entered the auror office. The walls were covered with pictures of wanted criminals. Pictures of Evani took up an entire corner. Caleb ripped some of them down, angrily. He sat down at his desk, looking at the pictures. Bass stole them from her manor during a night raid after Evani escaped. When Caleb first applied to be an auror, he felt excited. It was considered an honor to be an auror in this Ministry, one of Bass's elite.

Over time, the delusions of grandeur faded. Caleb began to see behind the smokescreen that Bass put up for the public. Behind closed doors, the Ministry was far from perfect. He knew that Bass only hired him due to being a pureblood werewolf. Caleb was like a dog to him. He only stayed in the position to support his family. Finding jobs as werewolves tended to be difficult. He tapped a mirror shard with his wand. An image of Evani with Harry Potter formed. They were sitting by a lake, laughing and talking. As he watched them, he heard "Did you find her?"

Keith, one of his best friends and a fellow auror, was leaning against the desk. Like Caleb, he had wanted to be an auror since their 4th year at Merlin Academy. Keith was very laid-back, getting him in trouble with the older, more experienced members in the office. Caleb nodded, putting down the glass shard.

"She's in Surrey…with Harry Potter"

Keith's eyes widened. "Harry—are they friends?"

"No. I think she used a memory charm on the family"

"Least she's safe"

"What did you beep me for?"

"We've got visitors"

Caleb recognized the expression in Keith's eyes. He sighed. "Here?"

"Where else?"

Keith gripped his wrist, wincing. Other men did the same. As Keith moved his hand, Caleb could see a tattoo of a skull with a snake emerging from its mouth. The mark moved slightly. Among Bass's more shady dealings was an alliance with Lord Voldemort himself. During the first wizarding war, they had been close friends. Bass gave him all kinds of inside information, using his Minister position to his advantage. His acting was so good that he avoided any suspicion from the public.

With Voldemort's return back in June, Bass revealed his true colors. Caleb couldn't believe that he sided with the dark wizard. Voldemort regularly visited the Ministry to have secret meetings with Bass. During his first visit, he ordered that all of Bass's aurors receive the dark mark and swear allegiance to his cause. Some were far more willing than others. Their excitement of working for the lunatic disgusted Caleb. Due to being a werewolf, Voldemort denied Caleb the mark. He insulted Caleb's family, especially his father who had refused to aid the death eaters in the first war.

"You're lucky you don't have one, Cal"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't let him do it"

"Not like I had a choice, man"

"What's he doing here?"

"No clue. You know Bass likes us all here when he visits though…in case we're needed"

"We shouldn't be dragged into it"

"I was talking to Grignard. You know how the potion made him come back all messed up?"

"Like the monster he is?"

"Yea. He used a charm to get rid of that effect…so now it's all gone and he's just a regular 40 year old"

"Even worse"

Grignard, the head of the auror office, shouted for them. All of the aurors entered Bass's office. Caleb stood next to Keith. Bass was behind his desk with Grignard and Holmes, the second in charge, beside him. Holmes had bandages wrapped around his face. It covered up his rotting skin from Evani's hex. He had been to numerous healers, all stumped on how to reverse the effects.

"You know the rules, men. I do not want a repeat of his last visit"

Bass's eyes narrowed at Jack, who looked anxious. At his last visit, shortly before the attack on Evani, Voldemort ordered Jack, one of the newer aurors, to kidnap a respected businessman in the potions trade. Jack showed reluctance to the task, leading to him being hit by the cruciatus curse ten times.

"Will that be happening again, Grayson?"

"No, sir"

"I should hope not. He rarely gives second chances"

The door opened as a few men entered the office. Caleb recognized Lucius Malfoy, a highly respectable pureblood and Voldemort's right-hand man, and Severus Snape, who spied on the Dumbledore while working at Hogwarts. The man who followed Mr. Malfoy could only be Voldemort. Instead of the ghostly white skin, red cat-like eyes, and overall snake-like appearance, he looked like a regular man with wavy ebony hair, dark brown eyes, and a very muscular build. The room was silent as he greeted Bass. He passed along the line of aurors, acknowledging a few men. He stopped in front of Caleb.

"Still have the mutt, Declan?"

Repressing his anger, he just stood there. Declan smirked, knowing the taunt bothered Caleb.

"He has his uses, Tom"

"Yes, he does. You'll be ingratiating yourself in the werewolf community in the woods, little dog"

"Yes, sir" hissed Caleb, secretly clenching his fists.

After a couple of minutes of getting orders, Bass finally let them leave.

"Nice one, little dog"

Caleb glared at Keith. He snickered.

"Come on, I'm kidding. Shoot, I dropped the file on the Brooks case. We need it"

"I'll go get it. You get the guys together"

Caleb headed back towards the office. The file was outside the door. As he picked it up, he heard "You still haven't reversed this, Declan?"

Mr. Malfoy was looking at Holmes. The bandages began to seep with blood. Holmes flicked his wand, replacing the bandages with new ones. Declan shook his head, frustrated.

"I don't even know what curse the girl used"

"Have you found her yet?"

Caleb listened closely. Why would Voldemort care about finding Evani? Declan sighed.

"Not yet, Tom"

"What is taking so long?"

"The girl's practically vanished. She laid a false trail to New York"

"I am getting impatient. You snatch the girl and bring her to me. Do you understand? That girl is the key to everything"

Caleb hurried back down the hallway, thinking about what he just heard...


	8. Chapter 8: Dealing with Big D

They went to their usual spot by the lake, joking around. Harry stared at his sneakers, picking at blades of grass. She nudged him.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think there's a reason everyone's keeping me in the dark?"

"Don't worry about it. Here"

Evani scooped up some water from the lake. It spun around in her hand, slowly freezing. She held up an ice sculpture of a golden snitch, remembering its image from Harry's quidditch book. Evani blew on it lightly. The ice melted, creating a real snitch. It began fluttering around. Harry caught it within a few seconds. He rolled it between his fingers.

"You're amazing. I wish I could do what you can"

"I bet you could"

"Not possible. I'd never get through this summer without you, Evie. Meeting you has been one of the best things in my life"

Evani smiled. She never met someone as kind as him. Most guys back home acted like Dudley. They hit on her, calling her sexy or giving her lewd looks. Harry was different from those pigs. He treated her like a real person. She kissed his cheek. He blushed.

"Want to see something really cool?"

She brought him to a small cliff that extended over the lake. It was about 10 feet above the water. "We're going to jump"

"W—what?"

"Come on. Where's your sense of adventure, hero? You slay snakes and fight dark wizards. This is nothing"

"It's really high up"

"Is someone chicken?" Playfully, she made chicken sounds.

"I am not a chicken"

"Then prove me wrong, Harry James Potter"

"Oh I will"

He looked over the cliff, nervously. "Those rocks are sharp"

"You can close your eyes, wuss"

She held his hand, intertwining their fingers. This electric spark went through her body. Ignoring it, she looked at him.

"Ready?"

"Is this an attempt to paralyze me so I can't go to Hogwarts?"

"No. Close those eyes"

He closed his eyes. She let go of his hand and pushed him off of the cliff. He fell over with a loud yell. "Evie!"

Right before he hit the water, she crinkled her nose. A cloud formed, catching him. It floated up a bit. She jumped down after him. With little effort, she made herself float. She hung upside down beside him. Harry's hands covered his face. He peeked through his fingers. Noticing that he stopped falling, he looked down. He touched the soft cloud.

"How" His eyes drifted to her floating beside him, widening with surprise.

"You're floating"

"Cute and smart. How do you not have girls all over you?" she joked.

She linked her arm within his, lifting him up. The cloud vanished into thin air.

"You might need a broom but I don't"

"How did you"

"Cool, huh?"

Carefully, she brought him back to the ground. He shook his head in disbelief. His hand passed under her, expecting to find some invisible rope.

"It's like Christmas every day with you, Evie"

"Interesting analogy"

"Always new surprises"

They went to the park together. Kids were running around, playing games like tag and hide and seek. She noticed a small girl around 6, crying on a bench. The girl was holding a kitten. Worried, Evani walked over to her. The kitten was limp.

"Is that your cat?"

The girl sniffled. "Uh huh. Mittens is hurt. Some boys were throwing him and kicking him. He won't wake up"

"Dudley" mouthed Harry.

Evani couldn't believe boys could hurt a defenseless cat. They lacked any shred of humanity. She bent down to the small girl.

"What's your name?"

"L—Lucy"

"Hi Lucy. I'm Evie. I'm really good with animals. Do you want me to help Mittens?"

"Really?"

"Yea. I'll make him all better"

"Evie, what are you doing? The cat's—it's not like it's a broken paw. It's not breathing" whispered Harry.

Ignoring him, Evani gave Lucy a kind smile. She wanted to help the poor girl. Sniffling, Lucy handed Mittens to her. Evani sat on the ground. Mittens was resting in her lap.

"I think I might need help"

"I can't do anything. I'm 6"

"You can hold Mitten's paw. I think he'll like that"

Lucy held one of its paws. "Just close your eyes and wish for him to wake up"

"Okay"

As Lucy closed her eyes, Evani's hands glowed bright blue. She focused her energy into healing the kitten, touching its fur. After a minute, the glow on her hands disappeared. Mittens' paw began to move. Lucy gasped.

"Mittens!"

She picked up her kitten. It purred, rubbing its head against Lucy's arm.

"He's all better. Thanks, Evie" Lucy hugged her tightly.

"You're welcome. If those mean boys bother you or Mittens again, come tell me"

As Evani stood up, Harry was still staring at the ground where the previously unconscious Mittens had been. He had an unreadable expression on his face. She waved her hand in front of him.

"Hello?"

He pinched her arm. She smacked his hand away, wincing.

"You're not real"

"Of course I am, silly" she said, giggling.

"You're not. You're—how did you do it?"

"Magic, duh"

They sat on a couple of swings. As kids played in the park, Evani joked around with Harry. He did a funny impression of some of his Hogwarts teachers, including a mean one named Snape. It began to get dark. Street lamps along the street lit up. As Harry imitated Snape, she heard loud laughter.

*Oh great*she thought, annoyed.

"Squealed like a pig, didn't he?"

"Great punch, Big D. Did you see his face?"

Dudley and his friends entered the park. They were a lame version of a street gang. She didn't find them very intimidating. For some reason, kids in this neighborhood treated them like they were deadly thugs. Seeing her, Dudley walked over. He tried to make it look like a cool swagger but to Aria, it resembled a waddling penguin. He smirked, smugly.

"Hey Evie. Thought I'd find you here. Want to go to the make-out tree?"

"I'd rather not"

"You can do more there if you want. I bet you have a lot of talent" said Gordon.

She looked at him, disgusted. Harry's fists clenched against the swing.

"Why don't you go for someone more in your league, boys? A dog is about your level"

"We like you feisty" said Dennis.

"Don't you have some little kid to beat up?"

"Mark Evans deserved it. He cheeked me" said Dudley.

"He's 10. Five against one? Really fair"

Dudley grabbed ahold of her arm, tugging her over to him. Their bodies were pressed together. He and his friends looked her over, lustfully.

"Why don't you give us a little tease, sexy?" said Malcolm.

Dudley leaned closer. She turned her face away.

"Ugh, stop it. Let go"

"Just one kiss. Then you'll beg for more"

"Don't make me puke"

"Get off of her" said Harry, standing up.

His friends sniggered. Dudley pushed her over to Piers, who held her in a tight grip. She felt something hit the back of her thigh.

"That shirt's begging to come off, Evie" he hissed in her ear.

As she struggled against his grip, Harry got in Dudley's face. "Leave Evie alone. Just get out of here"

"You think you're tough, four eyes? Least I'm not scared of my pillow. Moaning in your sleep every night"

"Shut up"

Dudley was referring to Harry's nightmares. On a nightly basis, Harry dreamt about the graveyard incident. It made it hard for him to sleep. She spent some nights in his room, staying with him to help him relax. Dudley smirked. He knew that he had something to use against Harry.

"Don't kill Cedric. No, please don't. Cedric, wake up. Who's that, your boyfriend?"

His friends laughed hysterically. He continued to mock Harry. She could feel Harry's anger rising.

"Dad, help me. Mom, he's going to kill me. He's going to"

From his jeans pocket, Harry took out his wand. Dudley's demeanor instantly changed. None of his friends knew the truth about Harry. They just saw it as a stick, making them laugh harder. She elbowed Piers hard in the stomach. It caused him to let her go. She kicked him in the groin. He fell to the ground in pain.

"Bitch"

Suddenly, the sky became pitch black. Dark grey clouds covered up the moon and the stars. The street lamps flickered as a strong wind picked up. Leaves and loose trash flew around.

"What are you doing?" she heard Dudley mutter.

"I'm not doing anything" retorted Harry.

"Come on, D. Let's go!"

His friends ran from the park. It began to rain heavily.

"Harry, something's wrong" she whispered, getting this cold sensation.

Harry grabbed her hand. "Come on!"

They ran down the street with Dudley following them. The storm got worse by the minute. She never saw the sky this dark before. The three of them stopped in an alleyway covered in graffiti…


	9. Chapter 9: Dementor attack

The three of them stopped in an alleyway covered in graffiti. It was extremely cold. She shivered, seeing her own breath. Harry held his wand out.

"I'm going to tell Dad what you did!"

"Dudley, would you shut up? This wasn't me"

"He's going to kick you out when he learns you had that—thing out"

"You're a moron, you st"

"Stop it" she interrupted.

The alleyway became much colder. Harry was pinned against the wall. Evani gazed at a floating black hooded figure. Its grey slimy hand was wrapped around Harry's throat. Dudley ran towards the other end of the alley. A second hooded figure appeared, tripping him. Dudley hit his head on the hard ground. He moaned, disoriented.

"Evie, run!"

Harry struggled against the creature's grip. She saw a silver mist emitting from his mouth, going towards the hooded creature.

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"It'll hurt you" he said, weakly.

He tried to reach for his wand. Two more descended into the alleyway. Evani felt pure darkness from them. She couldn't see their faces. As they floated nearer, the temperature dropped considerably. She waited for them to attack her. For some reason, they stopped, hovering inches from her.

"Go away!"

A blinding white light emerged from her hand. It struck the two creatures. Once the light cleared, she saw their cloaks on the ground, covered in black ash. She stared at her hands. What had just happened? Harry hit the creature in front of him with his wand. It let him go, moving back.

"Expecto patronum!"

A silvery deer emerged from his wand, charging it back. She turned around to help Dudley. The last creature was very close to his face.

"Harry!"

He moved his wand, causing the deer to strike the creature. As it flew off, she ran over to Dudley. He looked dazed, his mouth hanging open. His skin had turned extremely pale.

"He was almost kissed"

"Kissed?"

"Those were dementors, Evie"

"What are they?"

"They guard Azkaban, the wizard prison. They're nasty creatures. Dementors feed on your happiness and it can make you go mad. If they perform a dementor's kiss, it sucks out your soul and you're just a vegetable"

"That's horrible. You made it go away"

"With a patronus charm. It's the only thing that works…besides what you did"

"I've never done that before"

"Good thing it happened"

"We need to get him back to the house. Maybe I can fix him"

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard around the corner. One of Harry's neighbors, an elderly woman named Mrs. Figg who owned a lot of cats, entered the alley. Before Harry could hide his wand, Mrs. Figg exclaimed, "Keep that out, boy! What if they came back?"

"W—what?"

"I'll kill Mundungus Fletcher. Left to go see about some stolen cauldrons. When I get my hands on him…dementors! He's going to get a talking to!"

"Y—you're a witch?"

"A squib so I'm no use. I can barely transfigure a teabag. We need to get all three of you out of here"

Harry grabbed ahold of Dudley, picking him up. Walking back towards Privet Drive, Harry asked Mrs. Figg a lot of questions. She explained that Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts, told her to watch over Harry.

"Get inside and whatever you do, don't leave the house. You too, missy"

Mrs. Figg was watching her as if she saw a unicorn for the first time. It made Evani uncomfortable. She helped Harry bring Dudley into the house.

"You'll be okay, Dudley"

"Diddy, is that you?"

Mrs. Dursley left the kitchen. She let out a small scream, seeing Dudley in his dazed state.

"Duddy! Vernon, get in here!"

Somehow, Mrs. Dursley brought Dudley into the living room. She sat him down on the couch. He slumped forward. She placed a trash bin into his hands.

"Here, Diddy. If you get sick, use this"

Evani went over to him, trying to give him water. Mr. Dursley entered the room. He rushed over to his wife and son.

"Who did this to you, boy? Are you ill? Were you mugged?"

"Phone the police, Vernon!"

"Tell us who did this to you, son" Dudley pointed towards Harry.

Mr. Dursley's face turned deep purple. He looked like an enormous grape. Furious, he rounded on Harry. Evani braced herself for the inevitable argument.

"What did you do to my son?!"

"Nothing" replied Harry.

"Was it you know what, pumpkin?" whispered Mrs. Dursley. Dudley nodded, still dazed.

"I didn't use magic!"

Mrs. Dursley looked at Evani, worried.

"I told you he was troubled, dear. He's speaking nonsense"

"Mrs. Dursley, I know that he's a—wizard"

"Of course not. Such silly nonsense"

"You messed with her mind as well? Trying to hide what you did to Dudley, were you?" said Uncle Vernon in an accusatory tone.

Harry glared. "I didn't do anything. Evie knows I'm a wizard"

"What did I say about that word?!"

"Mr. Dursley"

"Evani, you shouldn't be around this. Get upstairs"

"But"

Before she could defend Harry, a medium-sized owl flew into the living room. It dropped a letter near Harry's feet then left through an open window. Mr. Dursley led her toward the staircase.

"Mr. Dursley, I can expl"

"You just go rest, dear. He won't harm you again"

"He didn't hurt"

"Get some sleep. Everything will be alright"

Evani knew this was a losing battle. She couldn't reason with the Dursleys. They were stubborn and too opinionated. She waited in Harry's room. Who would send him a letter? Despite not being downstairs, Evani got the gist of the argument. Mr. Dursley continually yelled, getting louder and louder. She was surprised that no one called the cops. He kept complaining about multiple owls. Evani conjured her laptop. Since she couldn't help defend Harry against his aunt and uncle, she decided to check up on Bass.

She hacked into the American Ministry's file system. As she read a file marked 'Finance', she smirked, forming a plan. The door slammed open, almost falling off the hinges. Harry entered the room, angrily. She used a spell to shut and lock the door. He kicked the bottom of his bed hard.

"Harry?"

Grabbing three pieces of paper, he wrote down something. He was so full of anger that it radiated from him. Hedwig flew through the window, holding a frog in her mouth.

"There you are! Get over here!" Her large amber eyes narrowed slightly.

"Give these to Sirius, Ron, and Hermione. Don't come back until you get good, long replies. Peck them until they give decent answers, got it?"

He tied the letters around her leg. "Get going"

Once Hedwig left, he laid down on the bed. Evani rested her head under his chin. Her hand stroked his arm gently. She could feel him calming down.

"What happened?"

"I was expelled"

"What? Why?" she asked, confused.

"The Ministry said I broke the restriction for underage wizardry. There's a rule that wizards can't do magic outside of school until you're 17. I used magic so"

"But it was to save us"

"They don't care. They expelled me and were going to destroy my wand. Then Dumbledore talked to them and I have to go to a hearing on the 12th"

"I'll go with you"

"Evie, you don't have to" "I want to. I'll tell them what really happened. They can't get you in trouble for saving someone's life"

"I got a letter from Sirius and Ron's dad too"

"That's great"

"No. They're just treating me like some kid who spilled milk on the carpet. Like I'm some naughty brat"

Her arm wrapped around his waist. She felt terrible. Harry didn't deserve to be punished. He was a hero. If he didn't use magic, those dementors would have harmed him, Evani, and Dudley. She thought magic was justified in certain situations.

"You're not. I think you were very brave"

"Really?" She nodded.

"I'll help you, Harry. I promise"

His hand touched her lower back. She kissed his cheek.

"Don't let them make you feel bad. You did the right thing. You were incredible"

"I'd be going crazy without you here, Evie"

Cuddled up to one another, they fell asleep on his bed…

~Harry~

Harry was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Tonight's dementor attack made it impossible for him to sleep. All he could think about was who sent the dementors after him. Dementors acted as guards for Azkaban prison. What would send them into a muggle area? Harry immediately thought about Voldemort. In the graveyard, he mentioned getting the dementors to join his cause, calling them their natural allies. Were the dementors already doing the dark wizard's bidding? Harry looked over at Evani. She was sleeping peacefully.

When he first met Evani, he never imagined being this close to her. He would have laughed at the idea of them as friends. At this moment, Evani was the only one keeping him sane. She acted like more of a friend than Ron and Hermione. He hoped that they would finally give him some information when they learned about his near-death experience. Evani clutched the pillow. Her fingertips glowed light blue. A small fire started on the pillow. Quickly, he used a towel to put out the flames. He noticed that Evani had a habit of her magic getting out of control while asleep. One night, she had vanished through the bed like a ghost and landed in the living room.

Harry knew there must be wizarding schools in the states. He wondered how none of them ever noticed Evani, considering her advanced magical ability. Quietly, he snuck out of the bed. He got distracted by movement outside his window. Grabbing his wand, he left the house and went into the backyard.

"You don't need your wand out"

Caleb stepped out from behind a tree. Harry lowered his wand, warily. Evani trusted him but Harry was less willing to accept him. Last year, Harry spent nine months with Mad-Eye Moody, only to find out that he had been one of Voldemort's crazed followers in disguise. Harry wouldn't be tricked again. Caleb still worked for the man who tried to hurt Evani.

"What are you doing here again? Evie's sleeping"

"Just checking on her"

"She's fine"

"Can you promise me something, Harry? I need you to make sure she goes to Hogwarts"

He looked at Caleb, surprised. Caleb glanced around the yard, anxiously. It was like he expected an attack. Harry's grip on his wand tightened, prepared to defend himself if death eaters or Bass's aurors showed up.

"Why?"

"For safety"

"You said she could stay at your place"

"It's not enough. I wish it was but Dumbledore's the only one who can help her"

"Why not tell Dumbledore? He could expose Bass"

Caleb chuckled. "It's not that simple. Bass is a really good actor and he has all sorts of connections. Hogwarts is the best place for her. Even if you have to drag her there, make sure she goes"

Secretly, Harry wanted Evani at Hogwarts. She deserved to learn magic and be around others like herself. Everyone always told him that Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world. Dumbledore could scare off Bass easily. Despite the benefits to Hogwarts, Evani had been adamant about returning to Texas. She was certain that the problems with Bass would blow over within a few weeks. Harry knew better, being in many dangerous situations in the past.

"When my owl gets back, I'll write to Dumbledore"

"Thank you. I should get going"

"Why does he want her?"

For a second, he thought Caleb tensed up. He knew the auror was hiding something.

"I wish I knew"

Caleb apparated out of the backyard. Harry returned to his room. Evani was still fast asleep. As he went over to his bed, a golden light shined under the blanket. He pulled back the blanket, seeing the glow coming from her back. The golden glow faded. There was a faint brown line like a birthmark. The line extended, creating the shape of a wing. His eyes widened slightly, touching the mark. The mark disappeared instantly as though it was never there. Harry lied down beside her, staring at her bare back, wondering where the mark came from…


	10. Chapter 10: Discovered

-Four days later-The past few nights had been torture for Harry. He kept waiting for Hedwig to return with letters from his friends. Her cage was still empty. Evani found it extremely rude. Harry just wanted answers. Would it be so wrong to give him information? She didn't understand why he liked these people. They had no consideration for his feelings. Harry rarely left his room. She stayed with him, not wanting him to be alone. He encouraged her to go out but she refused. There was no one else she would rather be with in this town. Evani only left his room to get snacks or some of her belongings.

The Dursleys worried that he messed with her mind. Playing along, she pretended to not remember the night of the attack. They were idiotic enough to believe her façade. Evani had just re-entered the room. Harry was lying on his bed. She sat beside him, poking his stomach.

"Stop" He put a pillow over his face.

"Harry"

"Is Hedwig back?"

"No"

"Ugh!"

"Do you want me to make Dudley sick again to cheer you up?"

"No. They'll just blame me"

"Well I have exciting news" Harry sat up, interested.

"I figured out a way to handle Bass. Remember when I told you that I hacked into their computers?"

"I still don't know how"

"Details are unimportant. So I got into some secret files and found their stocks"

"Okay…"

Evani went on to explain how the Ministry boosted their profits through stocks. Bass was looking into two potion-making companies, Elixir Emporium and Nature's Brew. For all of his financial decisions, he consulted Dwayne Barlett, a supposed financial whiz. Whoever Barlett supported, Bass did the same. Evani studied Barlett through interviews and his own website. She sent emails to Barlett, feigning interest in his career. Due to his enormous ego, he fell for her ruse and did webchats with her. It led to him giving his opinion on the two companies.

Yesterday, while Harry was in the shower, she impersonated Barlett and called the Minister's office. As Barlett, she claimed that she wanted Bass to invest in Nature's Brew. It was the company that the financial genius did not support. Evani left a message for Bass to invest heavily in the small business. Hacking into the camera in his office, she learned that Bass followed her advice, putting in 200 million galleons for Nature's Brew. At Harry's confused expression, she explained that the stocks went up tomorrow morning. Bass would be horrified at the plummeting numbers and his investors would pull out one by one.

"But how does that work for you?"

She patted his shoulder. "Harry, you have so much to learn in the art of scheming. Bass is a crook. He won't tell the investors that they're broke. He'll just take new investors' money to make up for the loss. What he doesn't know is that I'll have the stock reports recorded. If he keeps bothering me, I threaten to release it to the news networks and down goes the Ministry and his reputation. That means I can go home"

Harry was silent. Evani expected a little more excitement. She smiled and shook his shoulder.

"Earth to Harry. We should be celebrating"

"What if it doesn't work? You could get caught by Bass again. Is it worth the risk?"

"It's foolproof"

"That's great, Evie. I know you miss your family"

He gave her a weak smile. Evani could tell that he wasn't feeling as happy as her with this news. He hugged her. The doorknob turned. She made herself invisible. Mr. Dursley entered the room, wearing a nice suit. Harry pretended to be alone, lying on his bed.

"We're going out"

"What?" he replied, dully.

"Your aunt, Dudley, and I are going out"

"Fine"

"You are not to leave your room"

"Okay"

"Or touch our possessions"

"Got it"

"I'm going to lock the door"

"Go for it"

Mr. Dursley's mustache twitched. His beady eyes narrowed.

"Don't disturb Evani. She's feeling ill and you'll make it worse. Am I clear?"

"Crystal"

He shut the door, locking it. Evani reappeared and turned to Harry.

"I overheard your aunt bragging on the phone this morning. They got invited to some lawn competition"

Harry snickered. "What?"

"Yea. Best lawn in the town or something"

"That's stupid"

"So I think you're about to break every rule he gave you. Because we are going downstairs to have a horror movie marathon and eat everything in that fridge until we puke like Dudley. How does that sound?"

"Perfect" he replied, grinning.

She conjured an enormous stack of DVDs. He sifted through the movies. Evani watched him.

*Just do it* she thought, biting her lip lightly.

"Harry"

"Yea?"

"When I leave tomorrow, do you want to come with me?"

He looked at her, shocked.

"W—what?"

"To Texas"

"G—go with you?"

"Your family treats you like dirt. I know you have Hogwarts but you could stay there until you need to leave. My parents would love you. You'd love my parents. You deserve to be around people who don't push you around and act like you're some sideshow act"

"You're serious"

She nodded. "You could have a huge room. I could even expand our sports complex in the backyard with magic and we could make a mini quidditch field so you can practice"

Evani was unsure of how he would react. She had been thinking about this for a while. With her gone, the Dursleys might make Harry, who was already depressed, close to suicidal. Her parents would never mind having him around the house. They were a loving family unlike the Dursleys. After a minute, he hugged her. She was taken aback.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes. I want to get out of this house and just be away from everything"

"I'll call my mom now and tell her. She'll be so excited. You go downstairs and get snacks for our mega marathon"

For the first time in the past four days, Harry looked genuinely happy. All of that worry disappeared. She went into her room and called her mother.

"Angel, is that you?"

"Hi Mom"

"Oh I miss you so much. I can't wait for you to be home"

"I can't either"

"We are going to have the best girl's day ever. I have the entire day planned"

"Can't wait. Can I ask for a favor?"

"What is it? You're not staying longer, are you?"

"No. One of my friends from the program doesn't have anywhere to stay. His family is stuck on a business trip and I was wondering if he could stay with us"

"He? You haven't mentioned this boy"

"Mom, don't embarrass me. He's a friend"

"Of course he can stay. Anything for my little girl. Jayce will be so happy that you're home"

Evani's smile faltered slightly. "I've been dying to see him too"

"Kisses, darling"

"Kisses"

She hung up, tossing the phone on her bed. Closing her eyes, she tried to erase any thoughts about her older brother. Seeing him could be the start of World War III.

*Just forget about it. He won't ruin my night* she thought, hopefully.

Going back to her perky self, she grabbed the movies from Harry's room. She could hear voices downstairs. Did the Dursleys return early? Before she could open the door, a jet of light hit the door. It blew off of its hinges. A hand covered her mouth. Biting the hand, she caused the person to let go. She turned around to see one of those aurors that worked for Bass.

"She's in here, Grignard! I told you that Barnes brat would lead us to her! He's too soft"

"Get away from me"

"You need to come back home, little girl. Your parents miss you and so does Mr. Bass"

As he stepped closer, she made Harry's dresser knock him over. He hit the wall, bleeding. She levitated him, throwing him from the room. Outside, she could see other dark figures. Her fists clenched in anger.

"Go! Go!"

The figures ran, going towards the park. She jumped out of Harry's window and chased after them…

~Harry~

Harry was sitting in the kitchen across from Mad-Eye Moody. He dipped his magical eye into a glass of water. Just a few minutes ago, Harry had been looking at Evani's collection of horror movies and thinking about being in Texas with her family. He was now surrounded by a group of wizards, including his old Defense against the dark arts professor Remus Lupin and a young perky auror with violet hair named Nymphadora Tonks who preferred to be called Tonks.

It turned out that the Dursleys had been tricked to leave the house. Tonks wrote a fake letter, making them believe that they were in that lawn competition. Lupin explained that they came to take him away from the Dursleys. Lupin explained that they were his guard. Harry had no idea where they would be going. They were waiting for some signal outside. Every few seconds, Harry glanced towards the staircase. He was waiting for a chance to tell them about Evani, remembering his promise to Caleb.

Part of him worried about her reaction, especially with her plan to return home. He thought of using the tablecloth as a shield when she exploded with anger. Knowing her, however, she could use magic to make it strangle him.

"Harry" He turned to Lupin, who was watching him curiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Yea. I just—I didn't expect anyone to be here"

Moody placed his eye back into its socket. Tonks grimaced with disgust.

"You'd better go and get packed, Harry. We want to be ready when the signal comes"

"I'll come help" said Tonks, smiling.

As Harry got up, he heard a loud bang upstairs. The adults took out their wands within a split second. Harry reached for his, wondering if death eaters were attempting to break into the house. His first thought went to Evani. He needed to protect her. Lupin kept him back.

"Don't move, Harry"

"But"

He watched the door to his room slide down the staircase. Moody stayed close to the wall. He peered around the corner.

"Do you see anything, Alastor?" asked Elphias.

There was a loud yell, followed by a man rolling down the stairs. His head slammed into the tile floor. The mysterious man fell unconscious. Blood seeped from the side of his head. Harry looked at his jacket. The symbol on the front of two wands crossing seemed familiar. "He's not a death eater" said Moody, nudging the man's side with his walking stick. Kingsley walked closer to the body.

"He's one of Declan Bass's men. I recognize the insignia" he said, surprised.

Harry's heart raced with fear. Bass had figured out Evani was hiding.

"What would he be doing here?"

Before Harry could confess to Evani staying here, he heard "Go! Go!"

He saw dark figures running from his backyard. Another figure appeared to jump down. It went in the same direction.

"Evie" he whispered, panicked. He opened the back kitchen door.

"Harry, wait!"

Ignoring Lupin, he ran as fast as he could, only thinking about protecting Evani…


	11. Chapter 11:Evie's revenge

One of the men was running across the playground. She pushed her hand forward. One of nearby benches disassembled itself. A piece of wood from the pile moved on its own, smashing into the man's leg. The man flew a few feet across the playground. He crashed into the ground, a loud crunch piercing the quiet night sky. Holding his broken leg, he cried out in pain. His pants were soaked with blood. She summoned another broken piece of the bench over to her. Anger overcame her as she peered down at one of the men responsible for separating her from her family. She jammed the wood into his wounded leg. He let out a painful yell. Fear filled his eyes.

"Please. Please don't hurt me" he whispered.

"Are you begging? Why should I listen? Y'all tried to kill me about a month ago"

"I'm sorry. Just let me go. I'll tell the Minister that we didn't find you"

"No. I want him to know you did"

She bent down to the injured man. "I want him to see exactly what I am capable of. I reckon they won't find you for a couple of weeks. Want to place a bet?"

"Please. Don't d"

He was silenced by the ground swallowing him up. She could hear his muffled screams. Some of his fingers poked through the grass.

"Larson!"

Another auror rushed onto the playground. It was the one who she cursed with that rotting hex. He had bandages all over his face.

"Lar"

Seeing his buried partner, he gasped. Larson's fingers sunk into the ground. The bandaged man sneered at Evani.

"You little brat. I'm about to get revenge for what you did to me. I'm going to make you suffer"

Before he could even raise his wand, she pushed her hand forward again. He was frozen in place. She shook her head in disappointment.

"Y'all are just so rude"

The man attempted to move his arm. He winced, stuck to the ground.

"It's only polite to warn someone before you're going to hunt them down like some dog. If you won't play fair, why should I?"

"When Bass finds you"

"I'm not scared of him. At this moment, you should be more scared of me"

She closed her hand into a fist. His breathing became ragged. Blood seeped from his mouth and nose. After a minute, he fell limp. She stamped her foot on the ground. Like his partner, the man's body was swallowed up by the ground.

"Evie!"

Harry was running over, holding his wand. He got her into a bone-crushing hug. She stumbled back.

"I was so worried. I saw—the man by my room and he had the auror symbol on his jacket. He—I thought…"

"I'm okay"

"There you are, little missy"

A man in his late 40s came out from behind the fence separating the road from the playground. She didn't recognize him from the night of her attack. There was no auror emblem on his clothes. She assumed that he worked for Bass. Unlike the other men, he had an intimidating appearance. He was much taller than either her or Harry and looked like he could crush boulders into dust with his bare hands.

"It's time you come quietly" Harry kept his wand up, defensively.

"You're not touching her"

"Are you going to stop me, boy? Maybe I'll help out an old friend and get rid of you too, you little scar-headed brat"

On his wrist, she saw a mark of a snake coming out of a skull's mouth. The snake moved slightly. She remembered seeing that mark somewhere. Harry looked far more panicked. He made Evani stay behind him. She could feel him shaking slightly.

"He's a death eater" whispered Harry.

Quickly, Evani moved her hand in a circular motion. The fence behind the large man restrained him, keeping his arms at his sides. He was able to move his hand with limited range. His wand pointed towards Harry and Evani. The tip lit up with a bright red glow.

"Cru"

She conjured a small ball of electricity, throwing it at the fence. The fence electrocuted him, making his wand fall from his grasp. He breathed heavily.

"Harry?"

A man in his mid 30s with sandy brown hair and a thin build, wearing shabby clothes, rushed over. There were more people behind him. Evani never saw them around the neighborhood. If they knew Harry, they must be wizards. He looked from Harry to Evani to the dazed death eater. Harry kept his arms around Evani, protectively.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yea. We're not hurt"

He didn't let her go, his head resting against her neck.

"I was so scared. Evie, I thought I was too late" he whispered.

She held his hand comfortingly. One of the other men, who had a large blue mechanical eye, facial scars, and a wooden leg, walked over to the death eater. He pointed a thick wand at his chest.

"Burns. Doing some work for the American Ministry to avoid punishment?"

"You can't do anything to me, Mad Eye"

"We'll see what Azkaban says about that"

Burns looked at Evani. She stared back, determinedly.

"He'll just send more after you, brat. No one refuses him. He'll have you dead or alive. You can't escape him. No matter where you go, he'll catch you!"

The man named Mad Eye knocked him out with a spell. He told the elderly wizard to go to the Ministry to tell them about Burns. In an instant, he vanished from the playground. There was an awkward silence as the other wizards stared at her. She knew what they were thinking. They all wanted to know why a bunch of aurors attempted to hurt her.

"Harry?"

"Sorry. This is Evani"

The man in shabby clothes held out his hand. Reluctantly, Evani shook it. She was still mistrustful of wizards.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Evani. I'm Remus Lupin, one of Harry's old professors. This is Alastor Moody" He indicated the scar-faced man, who was looking her over.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt" A tall, bald-headed black man in purple robes gave a small bow.

"Hestia Jones" To the left of Shacklebolt, the rosy-cheeked woman waved.

"and Nymph"

The youngest of the group, a girl in her early 20s, glared slightly. She had spiky violet hair and wore normal clothes, consisting of a denim skirt, leggings, a band t-shirt, and a jacket that stopped a little past her waist. It was similar to outfits that one would wear to a concert.

"Remus"

"Nymphadora Tonks who prefers to be called Tonks"

Moody walked over to her and Harry. "You took out two aurors on your own?"

"Four. Two of them ran off" she lied.

Both of his eyes focused on her. It was a little creepy. She felt like the large blue eye could stare into her soul.

"Why were they after you?"

"They were after me" said Harry.

"Harry, we know that's not true" said Lupin.

"It is. I think Voldemort sent them. You saw that one guy. He had the dark mark"

"We can talk back at your house. I don't think it's safe to be out here"

They returned to the Dursleys' home. Lupin pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. Taking the hint, Evani sat down. She wouldn't tell them anything. With her expert acting skills, she could fool anyone. Lupin sat across from her.

"I can tell you're a long way from home, Evani"

"Evie"

"I'm sorry?"

"I prefer Evie"

He gave her a small smile. "Alright. Evie, why are you in Surrey?"

Evani used the same cover story that she did for the Dursleys. She told them that her mother was friends with Harry's aunt and that she was staying here to attend a special school program. During her story, Harry kept making little motions by the kitchen counter. She knew he wanted her to tell the truth. When Lupin questioned her magical background, she told them that she was the only witch in her family. They looked very shocked by that information. Lupin asked her about attending wizarding schools back home in Texas. Remembering a meeting between Bass and the headmaster of a school in New York, she told them about Merlin Academy. They seemed to believe her story.

"Those aurors weren't after me"

"Burns spoke directly to you, Evie"

"He looked a bit unstable. I wouldn't take his word"

"Well I suppose you're"

"Declan Bass tried to kill her"

She turned to Harry, eyes blazing. He was going to ruin everything. Harry sighed, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Evie, I'm sorry. They have to know. I know you said you could handle it but you can't"

Before she could stop him, Harry went into a detailed explanation. He told the adults how Bass captured her and she escaped, coming to the Dursleys. All of them looked shocked about what occurred. Kingsley claimed that Bass was always regarded highly among the wizarding community, especially for his charitable efforts. She stared at Harry, wanting him to burst into flames. He avoided eye contact with her.

"So you've never been to a magical school before?" asked Tonks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No" "You've never met another wizard before…Declan Bass"

"Yes"

"How did he know about you then? If you don't have the Trace, Evie, and he never saw you use magic yourself…"

"I have no idea"

"Well I think it best that you come with us. You aren't safe in the muggle world. The aurors know your location and I'm sure Declan will send more than just four men next time" suggested Lupin.

"And what makes you so safe?"

"You can attend Hogwarts. Every young wizard and witch needs proper magical training"

"I don't"

"It provides you protection. If you are a student at Hogwarts, Bass can't just snatch you. It's a magical law that's always been upheld. He'd need a justifiable reason for your capture and seeing as you have no criminal record, he'll be delayed for a while" explained Kingsley.

"We would offer protection for your family as well. Bass will resort to using them to get to you"

Evani never thought of that alternative. Even with her financial scheme, Bass could still attack her family. There was no way to be with them all the time. He could wait for them to be alone and then use them as leverage against her. One benefit of going to Hogwarts would be having Harry around. She was able to understand why he told the truth about her situation. He wanted to protect her. Seeing no other option, she caved.

"I'll compromise. I'll go for like a month and then decide if I want to stay or not"

"Until Christmas break. I think that's a suitable time to see how you like the school"

"Fine"

"Yes!" Harry blushed deep red.

Lupin told Harry to go pack up his things with Tonks. While he went off with the other wizards, Lupin would be taking Evani back to her home. He wanted to discuss the Bass situation and Hogwarts with her parents. She knew it would not go over well. Her mother freaked out if she got a paper cut. When she heard about some maniac wizard attempting to kill her, she would have a heart attack. Lupin apparated Evani back to her home. She loved being back in Texas where it was hot and sunny. England tended to be a little too cold. She went up to the front door. Before she could get her key out, she heard a familiar clacking of heels. The door opened. Her mother, a woman in her mid 30s who looked extremely similar to Evani, was standing there, wearing a printed short-sleeve dress with expensive heels.

Evani felt this rush of emotions. She didn't expect it. Being away from her family for so long made her appreciate them even more. Her mother enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Evie, you're home. Don't ever leave again. I can't stand you being away for even a day"

Evani's heart sank. How could she tell her parents about going to some school in another country, let alone another world? Her mother noticed Lupin beside her.

"Honey, when you mentioned a friend coming to stay, I didn't think you meant…he looks a little old to still be in high school" she whispered.

Lupin smiled kindly. "Hello Mrs. Rybek. My name is Remus Lupin"

"Loren Rybek"

"I was wondering if I could speak with you and your husband about Evani"

"Is something wrong? Evie, did someone hurt you?"

"I think it's best if we speak inside. Is your husband home?" "Yes. He's doing paperwork in his study. I'll get him"

As her mother went up the staircase, Evani brought Lupin into the living room…


	12. Chapter 12: Betrayal

Evani kept thinking of how her parents would react. As soon as Lupin mentioned Bass wanting to kill her, she knew her father would want to hire bodyguards to be like her own secret service. She turned to Lupin, giving him a pleading look.

"Can we please not do this?"

"Evie, it's for your safety"

"You don't understand. My parents"

Her mother re-entered the room with her father. He was a very handsome man in his mid 30s with wavy chocolate brown hair and sapphire blue eyes. She could already see the worry in their eyes. Lupin stood up from the couch. Her father held out his hand.

"Brice Rybek"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Remus Lupin"

One of the maids entered with a tray of tea. "Help yourself"

"Thank you" Lupin picked up one of the cups.

"What's the reason for your visit, Mr. Lupin?"

"Perhaps it's best if you sit down"

Her parents sat on the black leather couch across from them. Evani avoided any eye contact. She just wanted to turn invisible.

"I'm aware you know of your daughter's magical ability. I am a wizard as well"

"We never knew there was anyone else like her" her mother replied, surprised.

"I think I should be upfront about this. Evani is in danger"

"Danger? Why would you think that?"

There was a tone of panic in her mother's voice. The last time Evani heard it, she had been 5 years old. Her family was hosting a party for her father's company. To avoid a group of boys who tried to give her "cooties", she ran into the woods behind the house. She spent an hour hiding in the woods. When she finally returned to the party, she found her mother panicking. Her mother thought she had been kidnapped. Evani hated seeing her mother so upset. Hearing that same panicked tone made her feel terrible.

"Another wizard kidnapped her a few weeks ago. He runs the American government for all wizards in the area. His name's Declan Bass"

"Kidnapped?!"

Her father placed his hand on her thigh, calming her down. Despite his relaxed appearance, Evani could feel his anger. He wanted to hurt this man who threatened his precious daughter. Lupin explained how Evani went to Surrey, staying with Harry's family. Her father was far from pleased that she not only lied about her whereabouts but used magic on strangers. When they first learned about her abilities, he made her promise to never use it on people. Lupin defended her actions, claiming that Bass was not someone to take lightly.

"But what does he want? She's a little girl"

"I'm not sure. From what Evani's told me, he was after her magic"

"He already can use it"

"Yes but your daughter is special. I know you care very deeply for her but I'm afraid you can't do much. All of the security that you could hire wouldn't be enough"

"I won't let some dirty politician harm my daughter"

Lupin nodded. "This is why I'm here. I proposed to Evani that she attend a wizarding school in Scotland. It's the safest place imaginable. Bass would be unable to harm her there. It's the best protection you can give her"

"Scotland? Aren't there schools here?"

"Yes but I worry that they are under Bass's control. I understand that this is a lot to take in but you need to know the truth. I won't take her with me without your permission"

Her parents were silent. They would never agree to it. Her father believed that their house was impenetrable. A fly could not get through a window without being seen. He questioned how Bass knew about her magic. Lupin suggested that he may have seen her use it randomly.

"The only people who know are us, her closest friends, and her brother"

She heard a door shut. For the first time, she looked up. Her mother was on the brink of her tears. She held a tissue in her hand. A guy around 17 with messy chocolate brown hair that fell into his sapphire blue eyes and an extremely muscular build passed the doorway, carrying a duffle bag and soccer ball.

"Jayce"

Her brother looked into the room. "Mom, are you crying? What"

As he noticed Evani, he stopped. He had a confused expression on his face. There was this rush of anger inside her. Evani hid it with a weak smile. He put the ball into his bag, setting it aside.

"Evie, you're back"

"Jayce, come in here. Your sister's in trouble"

"Mom" said Evani, not wanting to feel awkward.

Jayce leaned against the fireplace. He looked over at Lupin. Examining his crinkled clothes, his nose scrunched. Evani didn't take her eyes off of him. She knew Jayce was avoiding her.

"This is Mr. Lupin. He can do magic like Evie"

"Heh, wow. I thought she was the only one"

"Another horrible wizard is after her. Your sister went into hiding. He thinks she should go to a school in Scotland"

"Scotland? That's really far away" Jayce tried to hide the excitement in his voice.

"She's not going"

"Mr. Rybek" started Lupin.

"Dad, I think you should listen. I mean, if Evie was killed"

"Jayce! Don't joke about that"

"If she got hurt, it'd be your fault for not sending her to this place"

She glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was the same model as the one Bass toyed with in his office. Her parents and Lupin didn't see through his act of false concern. Jayce just wanted her out of the house for good.

"Evie?"

Breaking from her gaze, she turned to her father. Lupin had been watching her, curiously. Her father sighed in defeat.

"I think it's best if you go to this school" She nodded.

"It is a boarding school so" started Lupin.

Her mother let out a silent gasp. She could barely handle it when Evani went to school just ten minutes away. Having her gone for so long was like torture. Evani and her mother had a very close relationship.

"She can come home on holidays and considering the situation, I think the headmaster would allow her to communicate with you whenever you wanted. I'm sure he'll be stopping by to speak with you as well. There's no reason to worry. We'll keep her safe. No one will harm her"

"Well that's a relief. I couldn't stand it if I lost my baby sister"

Grabbing his duffle bag, Jayce left the living room. Evani got up from the couch. She told Lupin that she would get the rest of her belongings packed. As she walked away, she heard him telling her parents about Hogwarts. She went up the staircase. Instead of stopping in her personal wing, she went over to Jayce's side on the 3rd floor. He was laying on his bed, watching some moronic comedy show. Rock music blared from his laptop. The tips of her fingers sparked electricity. She slammed the door shut. He jumped up from his bed.

"Damn it, Evie. What's wrong with y

She crinkled her nose. His laptop levitated, crashing into the wall. The screen had a few cracks.

"Hey!"

"You really hate me, don't you?"

"You've got problems"

"Tell me you did it. I want to hear it from you"

"Did what?" he asked, innocently.

Her eyes narrowed. "Stop playing dumb. I saw the watch in his office. It was the prototype I gave you before I left"

"Whose office?"

"Your friend Declan Bass"

"Who's that?"

Her anger was rising. It took all of her strength not to snap his neck. If Jayce wasn't family, she would be torturing him with a hex at this moment. Jayce crossed his arms. His lips twisted into a satisfied smirk. Her fists clenched.

"Fine. I did tell him. I told him everything about you"

"How do you even know him?"

Jayce explained that Bass had been in one of the local bars, talking with some businessman. Evani assumed it had to be something shady if they met in a muggle area. While in the bar, Bass overheard Jayce complaining about Evani to his friends. He mentioned her using magic to stop a robbery at a nearby bank though his friends were too wasted to comprehend. When Jayce went to get more beer, Bass struck up a conversation with him. He confessed to Jayce about being a wizard and the American Minister of Magic. Jayce told him about Evani's own magical abilities and Bass offered to solve his problem by taking her away. When he saw the aurors spying on their house, he knew Bass failed to get rid of her. He eavesdropped on a conversation between Caleb and his friends. Caleb admitted to knowing Evani's location but his friends, who disliked Bass just as much, agreed to keep it a secret. Jayce told Bass that she was staying in Surrey with Harry.

"Just tell me why, Jay. All I ever do is help you"

"Help me? You make my life a living hell"

"I never tell Dad when you get arrested. I bail you out of jail all the time. I try to help you with your grades…"

"I don't need your help. I'm sick of you, little miss perfect"

"Jayce"

The tension in the room was high. Evani had a terrible relationship with Jayce. He hated her. Even if Evani attempted to be civil, he never accepted it. He was envious of her abilities and how everyone treated her. While Evani was the genius child prodigy, Jayce got considered a slacker. His only real accomplishments tended to be in sports. Her parents blatantly favored Evani. They could be very demanding of Jayce, disappointed when he didn't reach expectations.

"You really hate me that much that you want me dead?"

"Nothing would make me happier" he said, viciously.

"You don't deserve me as a sister"

Jayce pretended to be upset. He sniffled.

"Don't say that. I'm going to cry"

Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "You won't hurt me, Evie. Going to rat me out to Dad so you look like the little victim?"

"No. Because I care about you and I don't care that you hate me. I'll never stop loving you because you're my brother"

Jayce was silent. Her eyes went to the watch on his wrist. The face of the watch had a bright blue glow.

"Just give me the watch"

"It's my birthday present. You said so"

"Give me it, Jay" she demanded.

"Make me"

A pair of scissors levitated from his drawer. They pointed right over his heart. He backed away, nervously. Jayce knew he stood no chance against her magic.

"Stop it"

"Give me the watch!"

"I hope Mom and Dad see this. Then they'll send you off to that freak school where you belong for good!"

Her powers took control. The scissors fell to the floor. Jayce clutched his chest, dropping to his knees. The watch floated over to her, resting in her purse. She could feel his heart beat slowing down. Quickly, she stopped herself. Jayce breathed heavily.

"I never should've given you that. I thought it would make things better between us but it just made it worse"

She turned to leave. A hand wrapped around her leg, pulling her down. Her head hit the carpet. Jayce had the scissors. He ran them along her throat.

"Give me one reason not to"

"I'm your sister"

"Not good enough. Where's your magic now, baby sister?"

Jayce raised the scissors in the air. The door burst open. She watched the scissors get knocked out of his hand. Lupin was in the doorway, holding his wand. Jayce stood up, feigning concern.

"Guess my sister really doesn't want to go to your school. She was willing to hurt herself. I stopped her"

"Dormis"

He was knocked out, falling onto his bed. Lupin helped her up. She was silent, staring at the floor.

"Evie"

"Can we not mention this to anyone? Especially my parents?"

"I had a feeling it was your brother"

"I just want to forget it"

He placed his hand on her shoulder. "He'll come around. Jealousy does terrible things to people"

They went downstairs together. Crinkling her nose, she made a few suitcases appear. Her parents walked out of the living room.

"Where's Jayce? He should be down here"

"He's asleep. I think his practice tired him out. It was a pleasure meeting you" said Lupin.

Lupin left the house. The tears in her mom's eyes trickled down her face. She squeezed Evani so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

"Angel, I can't let you go. It's too far away. I'll never see you again"

Her father separated them. "Loren, this is for the best. You know they'll protect her"

She let out a stifled sob. "I just want my little baby home with me. Brice, I can't"

"Loren"

Her father hugged her. He leaned close to her ear.

"If you ever feel in danger, you can call me. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy"

"I'll always be able to help you, princess"

Her eyes were brimming with tears. She held them back. He kissed her forehead. Giving one final goodbye, she left the house. Lupin was waiting by the sidewalk. She went over to him. As she grabbed his sleeve, her house vanished. She landed inside of a medium-sized mansion. It was not as bad as the Dursleys' home. Evani scrunched her nose, noting all the dust and grime. Whoever owned the house needed to hire new maids.

"Is this your house?"

Lupin chuckled. "No, this is my friend Sirius's family home. It's headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. It's an organization made by Dumbledore to stop Voldemort. It's comprised of a small group of witches and wizards"

He glanced at his watch. "It's dinnertime. Let's join everyone in the dining room"

She followed Lupin through the hallway. He opened a door towards the end. Before she could take one step, a slightly plump red-haired woman in her mid 40s bustled over.

"Remus, we were worried"

"It took a bit longer than expected"

The woman smiled at Evani. She had this very warm personality, reminding Evani of her mother. Evani was caught off guard by her hug.

"You must be Evani. I'm Mrs. Weasley"

"It's nice to meet you"

"We're just getting dinner ready"

"I can help with"

"Nonsense, dear. You won't be lifting a finger"

As she entered the dining room, Evani saw Harry at the table. His expression seemed a little downcast and annoyed. He was sitting with two men. One of them smelled like whiskey and had the disheveled appearance of a homeless person. The other man had slightly long jet black hair, entrancing grey eyes, and a very muscular build. He was definitely more attractive.

*And this place just got better* she thought, smiling to herself.

"Took you long enough, Moony. Thought you might've gotten run over by a car" said the dark-haired man.

"You know Harry, of course, dear"

Harry smiled, brightening up again. Mrs. Weasley introduced the homeless-looking man as Mundungus Fletcher. The tone of her voice told Evani that Mrs. Weasley disliked him. The other man was Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Harry had told her all about him during her stay with the Dursleys. Sirius looked her over.

"Our fellow fugitive has arrived"

At Mrs. Weasley's harsh glare, he said "It was a joke, Molly"

"Now you just sit, dear. Dinner should be ready soon"

Lupin followed Mrs. Weasley through a back door. Evani sat between Sirius and Harry. To her disgust, Mundungus was giving her lecherous looks.

"So you're American?" asked Sirius.

She nodded. "I'm from Texas"

"Do you have a farm?"

"Sirius" said Harry.

"What? It's the South"

Evani giggled. She knew the common stereotypes about Texas. People assumed that they lived on farms and rode horses everywhere. She found Sirius's questions funny.

"We have three with all kinds of animals, especially horses.I'm really good at riding"

Her voice had a slightly seductive tone. Sirius easily picked it up. He smiled.

"I bet you are"

"How did your parents take it?"

She turned to Harry. "Upset but they understood. My mom almost had a heart attack when she heard about Bass"

"I can imagine"

Suddenly, she heard Mrs. Weasley shouting. The names Fred and George were said multiple times.

"Fred! George! Just carry them!"

The back door swung open. A large pot of soup, pitchers of some kind of root beer, and a cutting board levitated out. They were moving haphazardly. Whoever cast the spell had poor control. The objects zoomed towards the table. Mundungus fell out of his chair. Quickly, Evani crinkled her nose. Everything fell gently onto the table. A knife slid from the cutting board about to hit Sirius. She used her magic to make it disintegrate into pieces. Sirius looked surprised.

"Sorry. I can get you a new one"

"No worries. There's plenty more. I'd rather lose a knife than my precious good looks" he said with a wink.

In the doorway, she saw Mrs. Weasley screaming at two tall ginger twins...


	13. Chapter 13: Eavesdropping

The twins looked nearly identical except the one on the right had a small mole on his neck. Mrs. Weasley was reprimanding them, shouting about not using magic carelessly. Instead of listening to her, they stared at Evani, eyes wide. Their faces broke into these cute grins.

"That was bloody wicked!" they chorused.

"Do it again" said the one on the left.

Mrs. Weasley hit them over the head with an apron. "Do not change the subject, Fred! None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble when they were of age!"

More people left from the back room. Able to see a bit inside, she could tell it was a kitchen. A lot of them had the same ginger hair as Mrs. Weasley. She assumed that they must be her family.

"What did you two do now?" asked a man with thin ginger hair.

"Dad, did you see? This knife was about to slice off Sirius's head"

"George!" said Mrs. Weasley, getting angrier.

"And then she turned it into dust. It was brilliant"

Tonks smiled, seeing her. Evani looked over the other strangers. Two of them were Harry's age. The guy had the same ginger hair, being very tall, while the girl had slightly bushy brown hair. She dressed in a conversative manner, going along with her uptight personality. Immediately, Evani knew this must be Ron and Hermione. She felt slight anger towards them. Had they been hiding here the entire time while Harry wanted answers? Inside, she hoped Harry didn't forgive them. If any of her friends treated her like that, their friendship would be over. The girl beside Ron, clearly his sister, was the same age as Evani. She looked like she had a more outgoing personality. Evani would be able to get along with her.

Their eyes were on her with expressions of curiosity and interest. Hermione seemed to be analyzing her. Ron's face turned a deep purple, his mouth hanging open. She was used to that kind of reaction from guys. His brothers blatantly stared and even Mr. Weasley stole a few glances. Mrs. Weasley's anger diminished.

"Well I think some introductions are in order. These are my children Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny"

Evani could barely imagine having one child. How did Mrs. Weasley handle six? The idea made her inwardly shudder. Bill and Charlie were older, being in their 20s. Charlie had large muscles and Bill's clothing style had this rocker appeal. She noticed a fang earring in his ear.

*So cool* she thought, glancing at the earring.

"My husband Arthur and Hermione Granger. This is Harry's friend, Evani Rybek. She's from the states and she'll be staying with us"

Evani smiled. "It's nice to meet y'all"

Fred waved his hand in front of her face. She looked at him, confused.

"She's not blind, not deaf…are you touched in the head?"

"Fred Weasley!" said his mother, crossly.

"What? I'm trying to figure out why she's friends with Harry"

"That is enough. You are being rude"

"Seriously, did he put a spell on you? Blink twice for yes"

"Fred!"

Harry was glaring harshly. Evani understood Fred's suspicions. She was used to those kind of comments when she was nice to anyone. People, at first, assumed Evani and her family to be extremely shallow and conceited. Only Jayce tended to act superior, treating kids like dirt. Under the table, she held Harry's hand.

*Don't let it bother you. I think you're awesome*

She sent that thought into his head. Hearing it, Harry's cheeks turned a light pink.

"Let's all eat" suggested Mr. Weasley.

Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron fought over the two seats across from Evani. Fred knocked Ron to the floor. She stifled a laugh. Watching them fight was entertaining.

"Boys!"

"That's my seat, Mom" said Charlie.

"You'll be sitting by me"

"But it's"

"Until you learn to act like mature young men, you'll sit with me"

They looked dejected. Mr. Weasley and Ginny took the seats. Ginny smiled, happily. During dinner, everyone was having fun and seemed very interested in Evani. She knew not to bring up the incident with Bass. They didn't need to know about her being on the run from the American Ministry. Ginny was practically in awe of her. Evani's stories about life back in Texas amazed her.

"So did you attend Merlin Academy?" asked Hermione.

"No. I've never been to a wizarding school before"

Harry mentioned that Hermione was very intelligent. Evani had to be careful of what she said around her.

"Really? How come?" asked Ginny, surprised.

"My parents are really overprotective but Harry told them about Hogwarts and they caved"

After they finished dessert, Mrs. Weasley told them to get up to bed.

"Not just yet, Molly"

Sirius turned to Harry. "I'm surprised at you. I thought as soon as you got here, you'd be asking questions about Voldemort"

To her confusion, everyone besides Sirius and Lupin gave a small shudder. Harry mentioned how most of the wizarding world referred to Voldemort as 'You Know Who' or 'He Who Must Not Be Named'. It was like they thought saying his name would bring him back. The name thing reminded her of the Bloody Mary game that kids play at sleepovers. Evani found it a little ridiculous. Harry looked eager to finally get information about Voldemort. He had spent the entire summer with not one bit of news.

"I did! I tried asking Ron and Hermione but they said they're not allowed in the meetings"

"They're quite right. You're too young" said Mrs. Weasley, picking up plates.

"Harry's been trapped in that muggle house for months. He deserves to know what's happeni"

An enormous argument started. It was mainly between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. Fred and George interjected at times, wanting to hear this information too. Evani didn't care much. Voldemort had no direct effect on her. She went back and forth between the two adults. Lupin calmed them down, siding partially with Sirius.

"Not the entire picture but he should get some information. Harry's old enough to decide for himself"

"I want to know what's going on"

Mrs. Weasley looked defeated. "Very well. The rest of you, upstairs"

Fred, George, and Ron reacted angrily.

"We're of age!"

"If Harry can stay, why can't I?!"

"Molly, Fred and George are of age" said Mr. Weasley, wary of his wife's temper.

"Harry will just tell us everything anyway" said Ron. He looked at Harry, uncertainly.

*He better not* thought Evani, still not forgiving his two friends.

He looked over at Harry with uncertainty. She waited for him to tell them off. They deserved to know nothing after keeping Harry in the dark for months. To her confusion, Harry nodded.

"Course I will"

Evani kept her thoughts to herself. In her head, she was hitting Harry over the head with her plate to knock sense into him. Even if she wondered about Voldemort's plans, she knew it must be sensitive information. The adults had their reasons to keep secrets. Some things were only meant for members of the Order.

"Fine! Ginny, Evani, upstairs"

"But Mom" whined Ginny.

"Now!"

"I want to hear! This is so unfair! We're only a year younger and"

Evani grabbed her arm. "It's a losing battle. Come on" she whispered.

"Thank you for putting sense in her, Evani"

"I'm not speaking to you, mom"

With little effort, Evani took Ginny out of the dining room. She followed her up to the 1st floor, stopping at a room. Her suitcases levitated behind them. When Ginny turned around, she made them fall back to the carpet. Ginny opened the door. The room was smaller than Evani's walk-in closet. She already missed her bedroom. The beds didn't look very clean either.

*Suck it up. I can do this* she thought, trying to ignore the dirt on the walls.

She placed her suitcases near an empty bed by the window. Ginny crossed her arms, frustrated.

"I'm so mad. I wish we could hear what they're saying"

"You really want to know?"

"It's been worse for me. I've been cooped up for months with nothing. Fred and George have these extendable ears. They look like real ears and we used to use them to listen to the Order meetings. Then Mom found out and she put a charm on the door. Now we can barely find anything out"

"That stinks"

"And they'll have all kinds of secret information for Harry"

She kicked the side of her bed. "I hate being a kid"

Evani understood Ginny's frustration. From her bag, she took out her laptop. Ginny looked at it, amazed. She mentioned that the wizarding world just started using them a year ago. Some man had figured out the secret to getting around the issue of magic interfering with electricity. This allowed them to use things like televisions, cellphones, and computers. The Weasleys only had one computer for the whole family.

"If you want to know what's going on, I think I can help"

"How? You're not going to flirt with my older brothers, are you? That would be gross"

Evani giggled. "No"

"Good. Cause they already were drooling the entire time at dinner. Ron looked ready to faint. He's not good with girls"

"Hermione doesn't count?"

"Not to him"

Ginny sat on the bed with her. "So how does your computer help?"

Evani put her hand over the screen. She felt the palm of her hand get warmer. The screen turned on, showing the dining room. They could see everybody at the table. Ginny's eyes widened.

"You can do wandless magic?"

"Yea"

"Evie, that's amazing!" she said, smiling.

"I think we missed a little but the juiciest stuff always comes later"

Using the laptop, they listened to the conversation. Evani found out that a newspaper called _The Daily Prophet_ had been discrediting Harry all summer. They kept calling him and Dumbledore liars about Voldemort's return. The articles described Harry as unstable, a glory hog, and an attention seeker. How could anyone do that to a teenager? These people had no moral integrity. Sirius explained that Fudge, the British Minister of Magic, used his influence to run the smear campaign. Fudge believed that Dumbledore wanted his job. Before Fudge had the position, people wanted Dumbledore and he never forgot that massive support. Dumbledore would always give him guidance but now Fudge saw it as a ruse to undermine his authority. Fudge was acting irrationally due to fear of Voldemort being back. Lupin told them that accepting Voldemort would destabilize everything the Ministry has done to restore peace since his disappearance. They started discussing Voldemort recruiting people and the Order's more difficult attempts. Most were like Fudge, unwilling to accept the truth.

"But he's not just interested in gathering followers. He's after something he didn't have last time"

"You mean like a weapon or"

"Enough!"

Mrs. Weasley took the newspaper away from Harry. Ginny groaned.

"Mom ruins everything"

"You've told him enough. Anymore and you might as well induct him into the Order"

Harry expressed interest in being part of the Order. He wanted to help them fight against Voldemort. Lupin refused, saying that only wizards who were done with their education could join. He thought that Harry knew enough information. As Mrs. Weasley sent the kids out, Evani made the image of the dining room disappear. She turned on her music, playing it loudly.

"It'll make your mom think we couldn't have listened"

"Good idea. She'll nev"

Suddenly, Fred and George appeared beside the bed. Ginny clutched her chest in shock. They grinned with mischief.

"Stop doing that! You're going to give us heart attacks, you twits"

"Just listening to music, children?"

"Yea. Evie was showing me muggle bands" said Ginny, convincingly.

"You missed an interesting talk"

Evani pouted. "Oh sugar. I was ever so interested"

"We could tell you, Evie…for a price"

She smirked. Ginny glared at her brothers with disgust.

"Out, both of you. You're gross"

"Fine but we're stealing Evie"

They grabbed both of her arms. A second later, she landed in a dark room. She heard someone let out a small cry of pain. A lamp turned on, showing Ron and Harry. Harry put his glasses on and sat up, quickly. The three of them had landed on Ron's bed. She was between Fred and George. Ron tried to move his legs.

"You landed on my kneecaps!"

"It's harder in the dark" said George.

"Keep your voice down or Mom'll hear" said Fred.

"Get off me" said Ron.

"I don't think so. I never want to leave this position"

Fred winked at Evani. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"If you want to have fun, Evie, we can do it right on top of Ron"

"What?!" said Ron.

"Shh. Don't ruin this moment"

"That's so tempting" she joked.

"It is a two for one special" said George, smiling.

"As hard as it is to control my ever-growing lust for both of you, I'll have to pass"

George sat on the end of Harry's bed while Fred kept her on his lap. Evani pretended to be clueless as they talked about the weapon. She would just make curious faces. Footsteps could be heard up the staircase.

"Mom. Probably checking if we're sleeping"

"I'll be quiet. You two go ahead"

"Mom won't get mad at you anyway. It's that accent"

They disappeared from the room. Evani laid down with Harry. Ron instantly fell asleep. Harry's arm went around her waist.

"Do you like my friends?"

"They're great"

"I'm glad you're here, Evie"

"Me too"

She nuzzled his neck. They fell asleep, cuddled into eachother…

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: Meeting Dumbledore

-A week later-Being at the Order had been torture. Mrs. Weasley forced them to do all kinds of cleaning. Evani was not the cleaning type. She had maids and other help for a reason. Despite her personal disgust, she wouldn't complain. The Order was helping her through her situation with Bass. A lot of the time, the guys offered to do things for her. She barely lifted a finger. Without Harry and his friends, she would be ready to run away. Though it had been only a week, she grew really close to everyone, even the Order members. She and Ginny were practically best friends. They had a lot in common. Ginny loved to hear about her lifestyle and the muggle world. Between cleaning, they would look at fashion magazines or watch Evani's favorite shows, gushing over hot actors. Despite how they made Harry feel, she gave Ron and Hermione a chance.

She and Hermione bonded over learning and books. Many didn't believe Evani to be intelligent, stereotyping her as a ditz. It was a reason that Evani never judged by appearance. People tended to do that with her a lot. It took a while for Ron to get out of his shell. He would be extremely shy and quiet. Evani was able to break through it, getting him to be his usual self. Fred and George showed off their joke products. She never met a funnier pair of people in her life. They made her laugh on a regular basis. After a few days, she showed off her advanced magical abilities. The kids were amazed by the things she could do. She liked showing them her random gifts. At meals, they would have her do something for entertainment. All of the Order members adored her.

Tonks was like the older sister that Evani always wanted. At dinner, she would gossip with Evani and Ginny. She was something called a metamorphagus, being able to alter her features like her nose or hair. Bill and Charlie would tell her about their adventures at their jobs, curse-breaking in Egyptian pyramids and taming dragons. The more she spent time here, the more she liked the wizarding world. It all sounded fascinating to her. The cleaning did have another perk. It gave her a chance to secretly flirt with Sirius. She was a natural flirt. It came as second nature to her. She preferred older guys, flirting with men or guys like Fred and George. All of them were wrapped around her finger. Evani had woken up earlier than anyone else that morning. She decided to make breakfast since Mrs. Weasley always made the meals. As she made pancakes in the kitchen, she heard "You better not burn this house down"

Sirius entered the kitchen, his hair a little tousled. She stuck her tongue out at him. He looked at the pan.

"Pretty, smart, and a chef. There has to be something wrong with you"

"Not a thing"

Sirius watched her cook. She could feel his eyes on her body.

"Like it?"

"What?"

"My tattoos"

"Your parents let you get those?"

"They only know about 2"

"I only see 2"

Evani's parents were extremely relaxed. They let her do anything she wanted, including getting tattoos and piercings. She had multiple piercings, including her nose, two on her ears, and bellybutton. Her tattoos included a rose design on her lower back and a pixie on her shoulder. In the beginning of the summer, she got a few new additions.

"I got a new piercing and a tattoo. You have to look a little…deeper to find them"

His eyes traveled along the top of her shorts. She leaned closer to him. Taking his hand, she brought it near her shorts.

"You better be gentle or I'll get too excited"

She heard a crackling sound. It meant someone had just arrived. As the door opened, Sirius pretended to read one of Mrs. Weasley's cookbooks.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley was in the doorway.

"Helping Evie cook"

"I was not aware that you were into the culinary arts, Sirius" she heard a deep voice say.

An elderly man came beside Mrs. Weasley. He had silver hair, a long matching silver beard that stopped around his waist, and warm blue eyes hidden behind half-moon spectacles. The beard was tied with a golden thread to make it a bit shorter. His clothing consisted of midnight blue robes with silver stars. He reminded her of a wise old grandfather. Sirius chuckled.

"Well I decided to take an interest"

"Evani, dear, this is Professor Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts" said Mrs. Weasley.

She remembered Hermione telling her that Dumbledore started the Order when Voldemort first came to power. Harry always hoped to see him at dinner or for a quick visit. Was Dumbledore here to see him?

"It's nice to meet you"

"The pleasure is all mine. I am glad that I can finally put a face to the person I've heard quite a bit about"

"Professor Dumbledore would like to speak to you privately"

Curiously, Evani followed him into the living room. She sat down on one of the couches with him across from her in an armchair. He surveyed her through his spectacles for a few minutes.

"I wanted to meet with you personally, Evani, considering the circumstances"

"I'm sorry if"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "There is no need to apologize. Hogwarts is always there to provide a safe haven. I would never turn someone in need away"

"Thank you"

"How old are you?"

"I just turned 14 on July 7th"

"July 7th? A very special day"

"So I've heard"

"I find you very interesting, Evani. According to Remus, you've never had any magical training. You've never met another wizard until this summer"

She nodded.

"And yet you have a masterful control over your abilities. It's very advanced for someone so young. I would like to know more about them"

"Well I can"

"In time. I must be going. I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts"

He vanished from the living room. Two seconds later, Harry entered the living room. He looked around, eagerly.

"I thought I heard Dumbledore's voice"

"Yea. He was here. He wanted to talk to me"

"What did he say?"

"Nothing much. He kind of stared at me for a while…and then he said he wanted to learn more about me"

"Did he mention me?" he asked, hopefully.

"Nope. Sorry, Harry"

He nodded, looking disappointed. "It's not your fault"

"He sounded busy. We only talked for a few minutes. Come on, I made breakfast"

"I'm a little scared"

Playfully, she pushed his shoulder. She levitated the food into the dining room. His jaw fell. The others walked in, sleepily. They stopped, seeing the food that Evani prepared. Ron looked like he might faint.

"Evie made it" said Harry.

"Evie, this looks better than Hogwarts food and it has everything" said Ron.

"If you keep drooling, you'll drown us, Ron"

Ginny giggled. He blushed lightly. Evani went into the kitchen to clean everything up. With a simple spell, all of the equipment got washed and put away. There was a can of whipped cream on the counter. Picking it up, she bumped into Sirius.

"I think you're teasing me"

"Am I?" she asked, innocently.

She squirted the whipped cream onto his face. It made him look like Santa. She wiped some of it and licked it off her finger, sensually.

"I think I am too"

Passing him, she winked. She went back to the dining room and sat beside Ginny. Ron was stuffing his face. Hermione shook her head.

"Ron" she hissed.

"Evie, this is the best"

"Mom, I think she rivals you" said Bill, jokingly.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "It's all very good. Thank you, Evani"

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" asked Ginny.

"From my cooks at home. I'm super good at baking"

"OMG, you have to make something then"

"How about birthday brownies? It was just your birthday. I feel bad that I missed it"

Last night, Ginny and Evani had come up with a little scheme. They both hated cleaning so much. It was a way to have fun and get out of the house for a little.

"Hey, Mom. Do you think Evie and I could go shopping after breakfast?"

"Ginny, I don't want you out of the house. It's not safe"

Evani sniffled. Mrs. Weasley looked at her, concerned.

"Evani, what's wrong?"

"I just really wanted to get Ginny a birthday present. She's like my closest friend here and I'd feel so bad if I got her nothing"

Harry saw through their act. After being around her for a month, he had seen her superb acting skills around the Dursleys. He was shaking his head. Evani wiped away a fake tear.

"It's fine though.I'll just be the worst friend ever"

"No you're n" started Ginny.

"I am"

Mrs. Weasley was easily buying it. "I suppose it wouldn't be that dangerous. As long as you stick together"

"That's really nice, Mom. Thanks" Under the table, Evani and Ginny high-fived eachother.

"Mom, that's not fair. Why do they get to leave?" complained George.

"Because they're responsible"

"So is Hermione" said Ron.

"Yes well—oh alright, you can all go out but no wandering off. If Harry comes back with so much as a scratch"

"We'll protect him like he's our own baby" said Fred, pinching Harry's cheek.

After breakfast, they got ready to leave. Evani was looking through her clothes. Ginny put her hair up into a ponytail.

"I can't believe it worked, Evie" said Ginny.

"Tears always work on a mom"

"You'll love the mall in the wizarding world. It's huge"

"I like the sound of that"

Hermione was laying on her bed. She read an Ancient Runes book. With a pen, she wrote down little notes. Evani crossed her arms.

"And why are you not getting up?"

"I think I'll stay here"

"Herms"

"I'm not the shopping type. Go have fun"

Evani chucked one of her pillows at her. "Evie!"

"You're going or I'll tell Ron about your dream last night"

Last night, she had gotten up to get a glass of water in the middle of the night. When she returned to the room, she heard Hermione having a very interesting dream. She made kissy faces.

"Oh Ron"

Ginny giggled loudly. Hermione blushed, matching the color of her pink shirt.

"Don't you dare"

"Come on. You can put down a book for one day"

Evani gave Hermione her infamous pout with puppy dog eyes. After a minute, Hermione groaned silently.

"Oh fine. I'll come along"

"Evie 1, Hermione 0"

Evani and Ginny linked arms, leaving the room. Mrs. Weasley was fussing as the others came downstairs. She kept going over rules for leaving. Basically, there was no separating and wandering around alone. She mostly directed her rules at Fred and George.

"Take the floo network to get to the mall. It's safer"

"Floo?" asked Evani.

"It's traveling by fireplace" explained Hermione.

They walked over to a fireplace in the living room. There was a bag of green powder on the mantle. Fred threw some into the fireplace, causing green flames to form. Ron grabbed a handful and stepped into the fireplace.

"So you just throw some down and say where you want to go. Watch me"

As he threw the powder down, he said "Lumos Mall!"

Ron vanished into the flames. It looked like a dirty form of transportation. Everyone followed after Ron until it was just Evani and Harry. He pulled her into the fireplace with him. The flames felt cool against her skin.

"Just hold onto me"

She grabbed his arm. He threw the powder down into the flames. "Lumos Mall!"

They landed in another fireplace within a colorful candy store…


	15. Chapter 15: Shopping

They landed in a fireplace within a colorful candy store. Harry had soot all over his arms. He wiped it off. She stepped out of the fireplace. He spun her around quickly, making her giggle.

"Soot free. See? It was perfectly safe"

"I prefer cars"

Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, and Hermione were waiting by the door. They left the store. People whispered to each other as they passed by, sneaking glances at Harry. He stared at the ground, awkwardly.

"So where are we going?" asked Ginny.

"It's your birthday present. You decide"

"Evie, I thought you were kidding. I can't let you"

"Price is no object. Boys, I hope you're ready for a day of shopping"

"Evie, you're killing us" whined Fred.

"It's for Harry's birthday too"

Harry looked at her, surprised. "What?"

"I never could get you something back at the Dursleys"

While staying with the Dursleys, Evani could barely spend money. She was more worried about her parents than Bass. Her parents would find it suspicious to see money taken from her account being spent in England. The Dursleys did not even celebrate his birthday. She found it very rude. Instead of buying him a present, she baked a cake while the Dursleys were at a boxing tournament for Dudley. Harry continually told her that getting presents didn't matter. He enjoyed just spending his birthday with a friend. Before he could protest to her spending money on him, she put a finger to his lips.

"I do not take no for an answer. Ginny, pick a store"

"Well there is one…but it's way too expensive. I can't"

"Ginny, my family has enough money to buy an entire country. I think I can handle a clothing store. It's your birthday"

She smiled. "There is this one store called Dove. It's the most expensive store in the wizarding world. I've only seen it in magazines and it's so hard to afford clothes that even the rich Slytherin girls can only get a few things"

"Sounds perfect"

They went over to a store that reminded Evani of the fancy boutiques back home. Its windows were lined with diamonds. In the center, a glowing outline of doves kept meeting in the center to form various designs. The door was even shaped like a dove's wings. Ginny looked reluctant.

"We can go somewhere cheaper. I've heard rumors that the staff is stuck-up and won't let you in if they think you're not rich"

"Good thing I am. Let's go" she replied, pushing her inside.

The store looked impressive. She figured that Ginny was more in awe due to her family's money situation, always getting secondhand things. Evani wanted her to have the best. It was what friends did for each other. A small café to the side caught her eye. She went over to the café and glanced at the menu. A girl in her 20s was at the counter.

"What can I get you?" she asked, kindly.

"Two cinnamon lattes, a tea with honey, and 4 butterbeers" "

Flicking her wand, she made the drinks appear in a tray. She told her it would cost 30 galleons. Evani realized that people here used wizarding money. Mrs. Weasley mentioned that she would exchange her money when they went to get her school supplies. Hermione assured her they would even take muggle money at certain shops. Not in the mood to pay, Evani controlled the girl's thoughts. Her eyes glazed over.

"Actually, it's free of charge"

"Thanks ever so much"

As Evani brought the tray over, she saw a well-dressed middle-aged man, speaking rapidly in French to the others. He sounded a bit angry. Ginny looked embarrassed.

"Je suis désolé. Nous ne servons pas des gens comme vous ici"

"Speak English"

The man glared at Fred. "We do not serve your kind here"

"Our kind?" asked Fred, annoyed.

"I can tell by your clothes. You must be"

"Monsieur" interrupted Evani.

She walked over to fix the situation. Since the age of 6, Evani's parents made her and Jayce learn various languages. Her mother said it would be useful in the business world. Evani knew practically every language fluently. French was one of her personal favorites. His expression immediately changed, taking in her appearance.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle" he said, smiling genuinely.

"Quel est le problème?"

"I'll tell you the problem. Frenchie's trying to kick us out" said George.

Evani spoke with the man in French for a few minutes. Indicating Ginny, she explained that it was her birthday.

"Ah, bon anniversaire"

"He said happy birthday to you"

Ginny blushed. "Oh, thanks"

The man was Mr. LaRue, the owner of the boutique. LaRue spoke with her for another minute. He told her that the boutique had a birthday special. It involved makeovers and just getting an overall VIP treatment. Ginny never looked so excited. LaRue claimed it would cost nothing. Eagerly, Ginny followed him towards the back of the boutique. Fred crossed his arms.

"It wasn't free, Evie. Those specials cost more than a thousand galleons"

"Fine. It was free because he liked me and my French. It's for your sister"

"I was just"

"Don't be a git" she said, using a perfect British accent.

Fred stuck his nose in the air, dramatically. "Well I never" he said, attempting a Southern accent.

She giggled, handing them their drinks. Evani sent Ginny's latte to the back with a spell. Hermione sipped her tea. She looked at Evani, surprised.

"Evie, how did you know I like honey in my tea?"

"I invade your dreams at night" she joked.

"You what?"

"I've seen you drink it at the house. I was kidding…or was I?"

Hermione playfully pushed her shoulder.

"Let's get you new clothes"

"I have all the clothes I need. I've read that Dove has a small book section. I need some new ones"

Evani watched her walk away, perplexed. Who would think of books with all these clothes around them? Hermione was a mystery. Evani grabbed ahold of Harry.

"Come on, shopping buddy"

"Wait. I think I need want some books too"

"You're not escaping me, Mr. Potter"

Tugging his shirt, she dragged him into the guys' section. She got into her shopping mode. They were sifting through jeans. Ron picked up a pair with holes at the knees. He gaped at the price tag.

"300 galleons? Are they mental?"

"Ron, you're clueless. It's a style"

"I could do these to my jeans with scissors"

"That's not the point"

She circled Harry. He watched her, warily.

"Why do I feel like a deer about to be eaten by a bear?"

"Getting your measurements. Shh. It's my sixth sense"

"Shopping?"

"Yep. I'm an expert in shopping"

Evani gave him a stack of clothes. She encouraged to try them on in the dressing room. Harry looked nervous. He thought that he had enough clothes.

"Harry, you wear Dudley's hand me downs from like preschool. New clothes will help with your image"

"Image?"

"Well with this whole Ministry mess, kids will be talking. When they see you looking hot in your rich designer clothes? They'll forget all about it"

Ron, Fred, and George were hopeless. They looked completely lost. She could tell that they rarely set foot in a clothing store. Mrs. Weasley definitely bought their clothes for them.

"Guys, they're clothes. It's not rocket science"

"With this money, we could open a joke shop" said George, tossing aside a shirt.

"You're clueless. Harry, get into the dressing room"

"But"

She crossed her arms over her chest. Before she got mad, he nodded and went into one of the dressing rooms. She sipped her latte, looking at more racks.

"Are clothes really going to help him?"

"Of course. Now I need some intel. Ron, you're his best friend so I'll ask you"

"What do you want to know?"

"Has Harry swiped his V-card?"

Ron looked confused. "Seriously, when we get back to the house, we're going to have the talk. Is he still a virgin?"

Ron choked on his butterbeer. Fred and George sniggered.

"Evie, come on. I think the answer is obvious"

"He's never—done anything"

"You can say sex, Ron. We don't live in the 1800s"

His cheeks flushed a deep red, the same color as his hair.

"His girlfriends never tried it?"

Evani was surprised to find out that he never had any girlfriends. She found Harry so sweet and adorable. What girl wouldn't be interested? Fred joked that Harry was too busy saving Hogwarts all the time to have a relationship. After about ten minutes, Harry left the dressing room. He was wearing a pair of tight dark jeans with a dark blue short-sleeved v-neck shirt and a black leather jacket. Harry looked extremely hot. In Dudley's clothes, it never showed off his physique. The clothes were always too baggy. This shirt made his muscles stand out. She took off his glasses and made his hair messier. He looked even more handsome. She found herself getting lost in his eyes.

"Evie? Is it bad?"

Before she could say anything, Fred wolf whistled.

"Who is that sexy man?"

"Is that Harry? I thought it was a supermodel in our presence. We are not worthy" joked George.

He, Fred, and Ron laughed and went off to find Hermione. Evani straightened out Harry's jacket.

"Ignore them. You look great"

"Really?"

"Any girl who doesn't see that is a moron"

"Evie, I need to tell you something. I—I really…"

Ginny rushed over. According to LaRue, the birthday special included a full spa treatment, mani-pedis, and a haircut. Instead of being pin straight, her hair was wavy with layers.

"Ginny, you look awesome"

"They have a professional hairstylist who did it. They gave me some outfits too for free"

"I would totally make out with you"

Giggling, Ginny hugged her. "Evie, you're the best friend ever! This is the coolest birthday present!"

"We should get back. We told Mom we'd be home for lunch" said Ron, coming back with the others.

"One sec"

Evani grabbed one of the catalogs, showing all of Dove's collections. She went over to LaRue. He smiled at her.

"Can I help you with anything else, mon joli?"

"Yes. We'd like to make a purchase. I would like two orders of your teen fashionista collection"

Ginny beamed, trying to contain her excitement.

"One of your junior business girl collection"

She winked at Hermione, who looked shocked. The clothes in this collection would fit her conservative nature.

"And two of your teen guy collection"

LaRue clapped his hands together. "Fantastique! Vous semblerez incroyable dans des ces vêtements"

"Merci"

"That will be 400,000 galleons"

Harry chuckled, taking Evani's arm. "She was just kidding. We don't need"

"I was not"

She took out her checkbook, asking if she could pay with muggle money. LaRue accepted, saying it would be no trouble. In her head, she thought the exchange rate would be $1.60 or one British pound per one galleon. She wrote down the amount on a check, handing it to him and telling him to leave the purchases outside 11 Grimmauld Place. Looking at the check, Ron made a small squeak. LaRue was ready to faint.

"You are most generous. You can come back any time and your purchases will be free of charge"

To her surprise, he kissed her on both cheeks. She watched him walk away, spouting joyful French phrases. Everyone, except Ginny, stared at her, eyes wider than basketballs.

"Evie, are you insane?" asked Fred.

"Did you want 4 for you guys? I just thought two because guys don't care about clothes much. You and George could share and then Ron and Harry could"

"Evie, you gave him a check for 400,000 dollars" said Hermione.

"Well I didn't know the exchange rate"

"One dollar is equal to 10 galleons. You gave him 4 million galleons"

"Whatever. I like his store. It helps his business"

"You gave him that money like it was nothing" said Ron, amazed.

"It was nothing. I spend 400,000 dollars a week in shopping"

"You didn't need to spend that much, Evie. It's not worth it"

She turned to Harry. "Of course it is. You guys have been really great to me. You've been helping me adjust to being in this whole different place and away from my home. You deserve it"

They looked surprised by what she said. Evani never cared about money or social standing. Her friends were based on her own judgement. She counted them as real friends. Hermione, still stunned by Evani spending so much, suggested they return to Grimmauld Place. Harry started to take off the jacket. Evani stopped him.

"It's paid for. Keep it on"

"Yea. Show off that hot bad boy style" teased Fred.

They returned to Sirius's house by floo powder. Ginny went into the kitchen to show Mrs. Weasley her makeover. Outside, Evani saw about two dozen boxes. She levitated them into the house with Fred and George's help. Mrs. Weasley was gushing over Ginny.

"Oh sweetheart, you look beautiful"

"It was so awesome, Mom. While they do your hair, they give you all kinds of fancy snacks and"

"Better hide these before" started George.

"What is all this?"

The adults gawked at all of the boxes. Stacked on top of eachother, they almost reached the height of the door.

"That happens"

"When you said you were shopping, we thought you'd bring back a few bags" said Charlie.

"Did you rob the store?" asked Bill.

"Evie paid for all of it" said George, stepping away from the boxes.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Evani. "Evani, you did not"

"It was nothing"

"400,000 galleons of nothing" remarked Fred.

"400,000 g—but you don't have wizarding currency. How…did you pay with muggle money?"

"Yea, kind of underestimated the exchange rate"

"She thought it was about equal exchange"

Before Mrs. Weasley could freak out about calling the store, Evani calmed her down. She assured them that it was no big deal. Evani claimed that her parents never cared if she spent money. If she didn't use at least 500,000 dollars in a week, they would begin to worry. Sirius told her not to spend too much money, believing it would raise suspicions. Most teenagers didn't have tons of money for their own use. Ginny pleaded with her mother not to send the clothing back. Ginny grabbed one of the boxes. It covered most of her body from view. She headed towards the staircase.

"I can't wait to rub these in West and Briggs's faces. Parkinson and her clique will be shocked too. It'll be perfect"

Evani spent the rest of the day with Ginny and Hermione, going through the boxes of new clothes…


	16. Chapter 16: Training and Meeting Draco

-The next day-Evani was peacefully sleeping, dreaming about Hogwarts. Her eyes fluttered open, feeling the sun shining down on her face. Looking at her phone, she saw that it was barely 7 in the morning. Evani could only imagine the cleaning duties for today. Sirius's house was filled with tons of strange objects and creatures. A few days ago, Harry found a music box with a tune that made people drowsy. Another day, they fought off a group of Doxies, fairies covered in thick black hair and possessing poisonous fangs. As she entered the kitchen, she saw a small elf with bat-like ears grabbing silverware from the drawers. It was a house-elf that belonged to Sirius named Kreacher. In one of Hermione's books, Evani read that wizarding families used house-elves as maids and servants. Evani found it horrible that they didn't get paid and wore rags for clothing. Kreacher tended to be nasty to everyone else but her. Sirius treated him poorly, shoving him out of rooms and insulting him if he tried to take anything during their cleanings.

"Hi Kreacher"

"Hello Miss Evie"

"Taking something?"

"Mistress likes her silverware"

"I won't tell. Go on before Sirius catches you"

"Miss is most kind" He scurried out of the the kitchen.

"Interesting"

Out of shock, she jumped. She turned around to see Dumbledore. When did he get here?

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Evani"

"I'm okay, sir. What was interesting?"

"I've never seen that house-elf be kind to anyone here. You have a very pure heart"

He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's an admirable quality that many would love to have. Don't ever lose it"

"Are you looking for Sirius or"

"No. I came to find you. I had a feeling you would be awake. When we first met, I mentioned wanting to learn about your abilities. Now is the time"

"Now?"

"Yes. We will be meeting every day at this time except tomorrow. I'm sure you want to be at Harry's trial to support him. We should get going"

Evani crinkled her nose. Her outfit changed to a a pair of black denim shorts, a short-sleeved plaid shirt that tied in the front, exposing her stomach, and black ankle boots. Dumbledore told her that these sessions between them had to stay private. To keep Harry and the others in the dark, he arranged for Mrs. Weasley to claim that Evani was spending time at Hogwarts to catch up on her magical education. Evani grabbed onto his sleeve. The kitchen slowly vanished. They landed outside of an enormous building. It reminded her of a gym. Dumbledore smiled.

"This is a training center, a more advanced version of a gym. The aurors use it for their specialized training but other wizards use it as well. It was created by the Ministry to help improve one's skills"

She followed him into the training center. Similar to a gym, there were areas with exercise equipment like treadmills and stationary bikes. Some people stood in enclosed glass booths in front of a machine. The machine randomly cast a spell and the wizard would either dodge it or block it.

"Is that to practice dueling?"

"Yes. It's very useful. There are different levels based on the wizard's own skill and the machine imitates a real duel. The objective is to hit the target at its center by any means"

"Cool. Is that for me?"

"No. Yours will be different"

Evani hid her disappointment. She wanted to try dueling. Those machines looked really fun. Dumbledore told her to wait while he signed them into the center. He walked towards a receptionist desk. She watched, amazed, as one guy handled two machines at once. He was only a year older than her, being one of the youngest at this place. The guy had messy white blonde hair, mesmerizing grey-blue eyes, and a muscular build. He was very good-looking. She could see his ripped biceps through his t-shirt.

*So cute* she thought, interested.

Evani wondered if he attended Hogwarts. She glanced over at the desk. Dumbledore was speaking with an elderly woman. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. They were here to practice magic, not flirt with old ladies. She watched their never-ending conversation, waiting for Dumbledore to return…

~Draco~

Draco was in the Ministry training center for the third time this week. Ever since he returned home from Hogwarts, his father forced him to use the facilities to enhance his abilities. It all had to do with Voldemort. While the rest of the wizarding world believed the Daily Prophet's stories and refused to accept anything Potter or Dumbledore said, Draco knew firsthand that the Dark Lord returned. He was currently using Draco's manor as a headquarters. Most people would freak out at the idea of the infamous dark wizard being near them. Draco had no reason to be frightened, considering his father was one of his top death eaters and Draco was friends with his own son.

Before his disappearance at the hands of Potter, he wanted to ensure heirs to bolster his bloodline. He chose Ariana Clarke, a friend of Draco's mother who had been obsessed with him since their years at Hogwarts. This led to the birth of two children, Seth and Serena. He used the last name Burke to keep their identities a secret. Seth was one of Draco's closest friends since birth. Along with their other friend Blaise, they practically ruled Hogwarts. Voldemort decided to appoint some of his followers' sons as death eaters in training. They would get lessons from other death eaters and were allowed to sit in on some meetings. Draco's father wanted him to be the best, meaning he had to constantly train.

He would leave him at the training center for hours while he conducted business at the Ministry. Draco knew that he could never settle for anything and had to keep pushing himself. His father was slightly impressed when Voldemort remarked on Draco's improved dueling skills. To test himself, Draco decided to use two machines simultaneously at a setting for adult wizards. After a few weeks, using the settings for a Hogwarts student became too simple. Despite his insistence to the staff to let him use the auror facilities for more of a challenge, they refused, deeming it too dangerous. He was easily deflecting the spells. As he shot two stinging jinxes, the machines took a pause to recharge.

Draco glanced around the training center. He smirked, knowing he could defeat any of these rejects in a duel. Some of them had been at the same level yet could barely handle one machine. He got distracted by a girl near the doors of the training center. She had shiny chocolate-brown hair that fell past her shoulders in soft curls, entrancing sapphire blue eyes, and luscious pink lips. His eyes traveled up and down her body from her angelic face to her tanned, lean legs. Her outfit showed off her petite figure. It was like she jumped out of a magazine. He knew that she had to be part veela. There was no other explanation. Draco didn't even know her name but he wanted, no needed, her. He noticed one of the machines cast a spell. His wand had fallen to the floor from his staring at the girl. Before he could dodge it, the sharp sensation of a burn hex struck his side…

~Evani~

Suddenly, she heard someone groan in pain. She saw the blonde hit the glass then fall to the ground. Worried, she rushed over to him. She opened the door to his booth. He was holding his side, covering a small burn mark that singed through his shirt.

"Are you okay?"

She held out her hand. He was staring at her. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"Just got distracted and one of them got me with a burn hex"

He grasped her hand. It sent this spark through her body. As he stood up, he flicked his wand. The burn mark vanished and his shirt repaired itself.

"You were really good before. I'm Evani"

"I'm…Draco, Draco Malfoy"

She went over to one of the machines, interested. A sign posted a list of levels with a description, going from 1 to 20. Draco's machines had been set to level 7. According to the sign, level 2 was the correct setting, being for schoolage wizards.

"You set it too high. It should be at 2"

He smirked. "2? That's for babies. I'm advanced"

Evani kept looking at the machine and its features. She wanted to try it herself. Observing the different levels, she figured she could easily handle the higher settings.

"This is so cool. Do you go to Hogwarts?"

He nodded."I'm in 5th year. Are you"

"Evani"

Dumbledore was waiting outside of the booth. She opened the door.

"Sorry. I was just talking"

"Hello Mister Malfoy"

"Professor" replied Draco.

"I'm surprised to see you here"

"Passes the time while my dad's working at the Ministry"

For a second, she thought she felt tension between them. Evani turned to Draco, smiling.

"It was nice meeting you"

She followed after Dumbledore. They went into a back area where she didn't see anyone else. He stopped at a locked door with a keypad. Once he punched in the code, the door glowed and swung open. Inside, there was an enormous arena-style room with an outer control panel.

"Cool. Are we going to stay in here?"

"Yes. It is similar to the machines outside but a bit more complex. I assumed that those machines would be too easy for you. I'll control the settings from here"

"What do I do?"

"Just use your abilities as though you are alone. I don't want you to hold back"

Evani entered the room. It was just bare with polished floors. Dumbledore spoke through the speakers. He informed her that they would start at level 10. Suddenly, the room began to change. Large boulders and rocks formed. The floor became more uneven. She saw a razored disc zooming towards her. Using her element ability, she levitated a rock to collide with it. The disc broke into pieces. Being in the training center was exhilirating. Evani had been restricted while at Grimmauld Place. She was used to using her abilities freely. The Order members discouraged it. She loved being able to do her real magic. Dumbledore had gone to the highest setting at level 20. The description called it the most dangerous and claimed even the best aurors never made it past 15. It was easy for Evani. After about two hours, they stopped. She left the arena. Dumbledore looked pleased.

"That was excellent, Evani. I think that's enough for today"

"I want to do it a little more. Can I be here on my own?"

"I think that should be fine. I'll just inform Tabitha. Don't stay too long"

When he left, Evani rushed over to the control panel. She wanted to push the room to its limits. Using magic, she messed around with the controls. She knew that Dumbledore only saw a small portion of her real capabilities. Going back into the room, she started up the program. It was twice as rigorous as the level 20 setting. She hadn't had so much fun in months. A large boulder shot out from the side. She levitated into the air, giggling.

"Missed me"

It kept chasing her. She moved around the room like a game of pinball. Pushing her hand forward, she made a large flame strike the boulder. It shattered into pieces. She quickly manipulated the sharp rocks, turning them into a pad to stand on. The pad lowered to the ground.

As she left the room, she heard "Hey"

She turned around to see Draco. Instead of a t-shirt and jeans, he was dressed more formally. His clothes consisted of slacks with an expensive dress shirt. He looked really cute.

"Hi"

"You were in there a long time"

"And you're still here"

"I have to wait until my dad finishes his meeting. Do you want to get some breakfast? There's a diner right next door"

"Sure"

He brought her over to a nearby casual diner. They sat at a booth together. Evani could feel her stomach growling.

Once they ordered, Draco asked, "So do you go to Hogwarts? I definitely would've remembered someone like you"

"I just transferred"

"All the way from the states?"

"It was a better fit"

Evani wouldn't go into her whole life story after knowing Draco for less than a day. They spent the entire time, just talking and getting to know each other. Draco came from an old pureblood family with a lot of wealth. She could tell that from his clothes. He was extremely charming. Evani liked talking to him. He reminded her of her best friend Ryder from back in Texas. He seemed surprised when she mentioned being muggleborn. Her phone vibrated. There was a text from Sirius. It told her to come back to the house.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yea. It's nothing"

Her phone vibrated three more times. "Someone's popular"

"Sorry. It's…my dad. I should get going"

She stood up from the booth.

"Wait"

"I don't want him to be mad. I'll be here again the day after tomorrow"

"I can't wait that long. Do you have a WizSpark?"

WizSpark was a social media site, similar to Facebook in the muggle world. Ginny introduced her to it. The site started two years ago along with the surge in computers. Wizards and witches, mostly teenagers, used it just as much as muggles. They could communicate with friends and post pictures and videos. Ginny set an account up for her last week.

"Yea"

"Write down your name here so I can find you. We can talk over that too"

"Sure"

On a napkin, she wrote down 'Evie Rybek'. She gave it to him and kissed his cheek.

"Bye, Draco"

Once she left the diner, she returned to Grimmauld Place, landing in the living room…


	17. Chapter 17: The Outburst

Once she left the diner, she returned to the house, landing in the living room. Sirius entered the room, looking worried.

"Evie, where did you go?"

"I was having breakfast. All the training made me hungry"

He told her that she could not go anywhere alone. She had to be with a member of the Order at all times. According to Sirius, with her current situation, it would be best to have them near her for protection. Evani resented being treated like some helpless child. It always irked her when someone acted as though she was unable to take care of herself. Living at Grimmauld Place began to feel more like a prison than a home. She resisted the urge to yell at Sirius for babying her. Pretending to listen, she nodded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you"

"It's not your fault. We're just looking out for you. Come on, we're cleaning upstairs"

"Joy" she replied, sarcastically.

They walked up the staircase together. She glanced around at all of the portraits. Sirius broke her out of her thoughts.

"So how was your session with Dumbledore?"

"Fun. I liked it a lot" she said, secretly wishing she was back at the training center.

"I'm sure it's hard for you, Evie"

She looked at him. "Why?"

"Well you were always used to using your magic freely and now you can't. It's a hard transition. I think that's why Dumbledore's doing the training. He wants you to be comfortable"

Sirius handed her a small rag. She hid her disgust. He opened one of the doors, leading to a study. She followed him into the room. Everyone was already cleaning. She helped Ginny with one of the drawers. As they cleaned, she kept noticing these concerned looks from Mrs. Weasley. It was similar to a look given to a beloved pet when it has to be put down. She found it a bit unsettling. As she threw away some pieces of broken jewelry, she spotted Sirius nudge Mrs. Weasley's side. They began whispering to each other. Evani used a charm to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Molly, would you stop? She's going to think you're mental"

"It can't be true"

"This is why he wants to do it this way. You heard what he said about her meeting the Malfoy kid"

She knew that they were talking about Dumbledore. At the training center, she could feel a bit of tension between him and Draco. Why would he care if they met? Draco was far from dangerous. She started to clean a bookshelf.

"Remember what Snape told us at the last meeting? For all we know, they're little spies for him. Dumbledore might switch the training times so they don't meet up again"

"She's capable of handling a boy, Sirius"

"We all know how Malfoys are, Molly. Besides, Evie's naive about this world. She doesn't understand who's dishonest and could hurt her. We're going to discuss it tonight. Bring it up with him"

Suddenly, Evani caught a burning smell in her nose. She was surprised to see the bookshelf on fire. Mentally, she cursed at herself. When she lost focus, her magic tended to lose control. Any random thing could happen. She watched as the flames started small then spread all over. The bookshelf started to crumble. Before she could put out the flames, she got pushed aside by a spell. Sirius waved his wand, putting out the flames and repairing the bookshelf. He held out a hand to help her up. Her eyes narrowed. She got up from the floor.

"Most people say thank you when someone helps them"

"I didn't need your help"

"Evie"

"I could've handled it myself"

"I didn't mean t" A gash formed on his cheek.

Sirius easily fixed the wound. Everyone else was silent. Mrs. Weasley walked over to her, concerned.

"Evani, why did you do that? Apologize this instant"

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm done cleaning! Maybe you're used to cleaning cause you're super poor and can barely afford a sock"

"Evie!" said Harry, shocked.

"But I'm not. I'm not some maid!"

Angrily, she tossed the rag to the floor. She left the study and headed up to her room. The lamp hanging from the ceiling began to shake. She laid down on her bed, still fuming. For the rest of the day, Evani stayed in her room. She kept thinking about that conversation between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. Why did Mrs. Weasley look so worried? What could be wrong with Draco that Dumbledore wanted to avoid him at the training center? Hermione attempted to talk to her but she kept the door locked with a charm. Sirius deserved that cut. Evani was always taught that being helpless meant being weak. Her family beat that into her head from an early age. She hated if someone did something for her. Sirius had no reason to put out the fire. She could have easily done it herself. In her mind, she knew he just wanted to prove that she needed the Order for protection.

While everyone else ate dinner, she went up to the 4th floor near Buckbeak's room. She conjured her laptop to talk to her friends from back home. Around 9, she heard Order members apparating into the house. She decided to reuse that spell from the first night when Ginny wanted to hear the discussion about Voldemort. As the dining room showed on the screen, she heard a small pinging sound. A message appeared from WizSpark. She clicked on the chatbox. Another screen popped up, showing an expensive bedroom of emerald green and black. There were quidditch posters hung up over the bed.

"Am I talking to a ghost?"

Draco came into view. "Hey. I was hoping you'd be there"

"I see you found me"

"It wasn't hard. When I typed in gorgeous girl with pretty eyes, you automatically came up"

"Smooth"

He sat on the bed, looking very dressed up. She assumed that he had been at some formal party.

"I feel like I interrupted you. Were you in the middle of something?"

In the smaller screen, she could see Dumbledore enter the dining room. The meeting was going to involve a discussion about her. She contemplated ending her chat with Draco to eavesdrop on the meeting downstairs. Wanting someone to vent to, she decided against it.

"I was just playing with myself, screaming your name at the top of my lungs" she replied, sarcastically.

"Well don't stop because I'm here"

Evani giggled. It was the first time that she felt happy since the incident in the study.

"I'll send you a video of it"

"Or you could come over here. Do you have a floo network where you're staying?"

"Yea but my parents won't let me leave"

"Just sneak out"

"My mom has the ears of a bat. She hears everything"

For the next two hours, they simply talked. He kept asking her questions about life back home. She couldn't see why Dumbledore was so against her being friends with Draco. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. His formal attire was due to a social party thrown by his mother. She laughed when he told her he had to endure numerous older women pinching his cheeks and gushing over him. He had just snuck out of the party to get some privacy. During their conversation, she accidentally brought up Ginny. Draco questioned how she knew the Weasleys. She claimed to be staying with them to be closer to the school.

"I kind of said something bad to Mrs. Weasley"

"What was it?"

"That she was too poor to afford a sock…"

Draco laughed. She was surprised by his reaction. In the moment, Evani felt little remorse for her remark to Mrs. Weasley. Once she calmed down, she knew it was rude.

"It's not funny. It just—I was angry and it slipped out"

"It's the truth. Don't feel sorry for what you said. Maybe it will be a reality check to them and they'll try to make actual money"

She heard a door open downstairs, followed by people saying goodbye. The Order meeting had ended.

"I have to go. I'll see you later"

"Wait. I"

Quickly, she shut the laptop. She made it vanish and stood up. Sirius walked over to her.

"Evie? What are you doing up here?"

"I was talking to my friends"

She started to head towards the staircase. He grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked up at him.

"I'm not apologizing to you"

"I don't know what got into you. You were fine when you got back from the training center and then you had a huge mood swing. I don't care if you don't apologize to me but you are to Molly. I'm not going to let you talk to her or anyone else like that. You were completely out of line"

He forced her down to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley and Lupin were clearing up the table. Evani noticed a document covered in scribbles. She spotted her name scrawled near the top. Before she could get a closer look, Sirius nudged her forward.

"Molly, Evie has something to say"

"I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry"

Mrs. Weasley hugged her. "It's alright, dear. I know this is a hard transition for you. Get some rest"

Evani left the kitchen with Sirius. He walked with her until they reached her room. She turned to him.

"Oh, am I getting an apology?"

"I'd be really careful, Sirius. Appearances can be deceiving. I mean, everyone used to think you were some psycho murderer but you were just some idiot who got framed. Just know I can make anything look like an accident"

"Are you threatening me, Evie?"

"I'm just saying that the last person to get me mad…she's not in the best state to talk about it. Harry's already lost his parents. It would be a shame if he had to lose you too"

Sirius was silent. She gave him a sweet smile and entered her room…

* * *

**Thanks for the all the reviews! :)**


	18. Chapter 18: Heading to the Ministry

-The next day- Around 6:30 the next morning, Evani woke up, remembering Harry had his trial. This entire situation was foolish. She didn't understand how the Ministry wanted to expel him for saving his cousin's life. Were they really that concerned with tarnishing his image to boost their own? She got dressed and went downstairs. In the kitchen, Lupin, Sirius, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks were sitting at the table. Mrs. Weasley straightened out Harry's blazer. She attempted to flatten his hair.

"Evani, dear, you're up early"

"I wanted to go with Harry"

"Oh well I'm not sure…it's up to Arthur"

Mr. Weasley smiled. "That would be fine. The more support, the better"

Harry sat beside her at the table. He was pushing around his toast.

"You'll be okay" she whispered.

"I feel like I'm going to vomit"

"You'll be cleared. If they expel you, they'll have to answer to me"

Mr. Weasley explained that Harry's hearing would be with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, on the same floor as Mr. Weasley's office. Harry simply nodded. Evani could feel his nerves. The adults kept giving him words of encouragement. They weren't getting through to him. Sirius poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Well I think it's great that you're going with him, Evie. You can just freak out on them randomly too"

Tonks glared at him. There was definite tension between Sirius and Evani. Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch, anxiously.

"I think we should head out now. Better to leave early"

Harry and Evani followed him out of the house. He looked at Evani, concerned.

"Is everything okay? You really did flip out yesterday"

"I didn't need his help. I'm not stupid"

"No one said you were, Evie. He was just being nice. You overreacted"

"I didn't ask for your opinion"

Harry was taken aback. She sighed.

"Look, things are different in my family. We don't ask for help. It's being weak. I've seen my grandparents refuse money to my cousin when she lost her job"

"Is that why you won't admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"That you can't fight Bass alone and you're glad the Order is protecting you"

"You're the one that broke our promise, Harry"

"To keep you safe. You're so stubborn sometimes, Evie. You might be great at magic but you're still a 14 year old girl"

Mr. Weasley interrupted their conversation. They went down to an underground subway station. Evani scrunched her nose at the dirt and grime. Harry bought tickets from one of the booths. Mr. Weasley looked around in amazement.

"Trains underground? Ingenious, these muggles"

He had a slight obsession with muggle things. During meals, Mr. Weasley always questioned Evani about the muggle world. He once asked about the function of a microwave. The three of them got on one of the trains. There was barely any room, meaning they had to stand. She didn't want any of these people near her. Some looked like they found clothes in a dumpster. She could feel men's eyes on her. As the train moved, she played with her hair, twirling it around her finger.

"Hey sexy"

Two guys in their late teens were behind her. They had this skater style. She hid her disgust.

"So did it hurt?"

"My fall from Heaven cause I'm an angel?" she asked in a bored tone.

After only a few years, she knew every cheesy pick-up line. She was used to losers like these attempting to hook up with her.

"Yea, you are"

"Wow. First time I've heard that one"

"I'm Tris. This is Z"

She turned away from them. They didn't get the hint. The two idiots kept hitting on her. She simply rolled her eyes. It was too early in the morning to deal with this situation.

"You have got such a sexy body"

One of them smacked her butt. She turned around, ready to curse them out. Harry interfered, going between them.

"Hey, back off"

"Mind your own business, geek"

"You're bothering my friend"

Tris sniggered. "Friend? Someone's delusional"

"She doesn't want you around"

"Harry, it's nothing" she whispered.

"Go find some other girl to harass, you half-brained dimwits"

Both guys were much taller and muscular than Harry. They could easily hurt him. Harry didn't look the least bit scared.

"Think we need to teach you a lesson, four eyes" said Tris.

Evani kept Harry back. "Don't"

"Listen to the girl, kid. She wants to be with us. Find someone more your league…like a dog"

Tris grabbed her wrist, tugging her over to him. Harry reached into his back pocket. Mr. Weasley walked over.

"Is something wrong here?"

"No problem at all" said Z.

"It seems that there is one. These children are under my care and I believe you're bothering this young girl. I suggest you unhand her"

"Or what, old man?"

The train finally stopped. "Security is right outside. I'm sure they'd like to hear about this"

She shrugged herself out of Tris's grip.

"We'll see you later, babe"

Z made an obscene gesture at her. Mr. Weasley took her off of the train.

"Evani, are you alright?" "I'm fine, Mr. Weasley. They were just annoying"

Harry was still fuming. He kept glancing back at the train.

"Harry, you shouldn't pick fights like that"

"They were bothering Evie"

"Harry, it was nothing"

"It wasn't nothing" he told her.

"I deal with that all the time. They're not the first guys to hit on me. I know how to handle it myself. I don't need you fighting anyone"

Evani understood the reasons behind his actions. Harry just wanted to protect her. He had this superhero quality to him, always wanting to help others.

"It's okay. You totally could've taken them"

His face reddened slightly. The train had taken them to the center of London. They walked for a few more minutes, stopping at a street with windows covered in graffiti and some stores boarded up. He opened the door to a telephone booth.

"This is the entrance to the Ministry. It's the visitors' entrance"

"Through a telephone booth?"

"Yes"

"Wizards are weird" she whispered.

The three of them, even with Evani's petite size, could barely fit into the small space. Mr. Weasley picked up the phone, dialing a series of number.

"Let's see. 6, 2, 4, 4, 2. That should do it"

A woman's voice emitted from the phone. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business"

"Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, here to escort Harry Potter for a disiciplinary hearing, along with his friend Evani Rybek"

"Visitors, take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes"

Two silver badges fell into the return coin slot. Evani picked one up. It said 'Evani Rybek. Support for Disciplinary Hearing'. She attached it to her dress. The booth lowered into the ground. All they could see was darkness for a while. The door swung open, revealing the Ministry. It looked similar to the American Ministry, from what little Evan saw of that, except for its décor. The British Ministry had a more olden, Victorian style. There were fireplaces along the walls where men and women appeared using floo powder. In the center of the floor was an enormous golden fountain. It depicted a wizard, witch, centaur, goblin, and house-elf. Water streamed from various parts of the statues. Evani followed Mr. Weasley over to a desk with an overhead sign that said 'Security'. A poorly shaven man in a peacock-blue uniform was seated, reading a newspaper.

"I'm escorting some visitors" said Mr. Weasley.

"Step over here" the man told Harry, lazily.

Harry walked closer to the desk. The man took out a thin golden rod, passing it along his body. It reminded Evani of airport security.

"Wand"

Harry handed him a wand. The security guard placed it on a scale, which proceeded to vibrate. A piece of paper slid out from the bottom of the scale.

"11 inches, phoenix feather core, been in use for 4 years?"

"Yes"

"You get this back" he said, tossing the wand.

Harry placed it into his jeans pocket. "Thanks"

The man's eyes glanced from Harry's badge to his scar. "Hang on…"

"Thank you, Eric. I do have another visitor"

Evani went over to the desk. The guard took an extra long time passing that rod over her chest. He was making it a little too obvious. Harry cleared his throat.

"Wand?"

"I don't have one"

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well I don't need a w"

Mr. Weasley interrupted her. "Evani must have forgotten it at home. Isn't that right?"

Playing along, she nodded.

"I'm sure you can let it slide, Eric. She's clearly not a danger"

"Still need to check. You can go in that room back there and I'll pat you down"

"That is not part of your procedure. We'll be going" he said, sternly.

They left the security desk. Evani questioned why Mr. Weasley lied to the guard. He claimed it would be unwise to let others know about her being capable of wandless magic. Being a rare ability, it would draw attention to her. She would have to get a wand when they went to Diagon Alley. The three of them stepped onto an elevator lift with other people. Once it reached the 2nd floor, where Mr. Weasley worked, they got off of the lift. There were a series of cubicles. One of them had the words 'Auror Office' emblazoned on it. Kingsley was speaking to a witch with an eyepatch.

"Weasley. Have you got a second?"

"Yes, but I'm rather in a hurry"

They had this cold tone to their voices. Before Harry could greet Kingsley, she stopped him. She remembered Tonks mentioning that they had to keep their involvement in the Order secretive. It meant pretending to be on acquaintance terms when at the Ministry.

"Just be quiet" she whispered.

"Why?"

"It'll look suspicious"

Kingsley's desk was covered with newspaper cuttings and old pictures of Sirius. In whispers, they spoke more cordially to eachother. Kingsley pretended to ask Mr. Weasley to look into flying motorcycle sightings and a report on firearms. Secretly, Kingsley handed him a colorful magazine, saying one of the articles would amuse Sirius. Kingsley winked at Evani and Harry. A middle-aged man passed by, holding a newspaper clipping.

"Everything alright, Savage?"

"Remember Grignard? He was Bass's head auror. We met him at that inter-Ministry party a few years back"

"Yea, bit of a headstrong bloke"

"Just found dead in Surrey two days ago along with another auror"

Evani tensed up. Harry held her hand comfortingly. Grignard had been one of the men who attacked her by Harry's home. She was surprised it took the aurors so long to find him and the other man below ground. Kingsley looked at the clipping, interested. For a second, he glanced at Evani.

"What was he doing in England?"

"That's what this Inquirer article was asking. Bass made a statement about chasing some fugitive"

Harry forced Evani down the hallway.

"Evie, it wasn't you. Maybe Bass was angry that those aurors failed to get you and he took it out on them"

"Yea" she lied.

"Don't worry about it. It's in the past. Bass can't get you here"

Mr. Weasley's office was not as expansive as the auror department. It consisted of two desks side by side and a few filing cabinets. Mr. Weasley's desk had a picture of his family and posters of muggle items like a car and mailbox. A memo zoomed into the room, landing at his desk. He picked it up.

"The third regurgitating toilet this month" he said, exasperated.

"Regurgitating toilet?" asked Harry.

"Anti-muggle pranksters. When the muggles flush, instead of vanishing, the water tends to—well you can imagine"

As he placed the memo on top of some papers, the door opened…


	19. Chapter 19: Helping with Harry's Trial

As he placed the memo on top of some papers, the door opened. A girl around 20 entered the office. She was tall with wavy golden blonde hair and light green eyes. Struggling to carry a large stack of papers, she put them down on the desk. Mr. Weasley smiled.

"Hello Tori"

"Hi Mr. Weasley. I thought you'd be here early"

He explained that Tori was Fudge's secretary. She attended Hogwarts, being in Ravenclaw. In Harry's 2nd year, she had been Head Girl. Evani could tell that she was an overachiever.

"It's nice to see you, Harry. If it were up to me, I'd never put you through this trial. Fudge isn't being too sensible these days…but that'll stay between us"

She looked at Evani. "I don't remember you at Hogwarts"

"Evani is a new transfer. She's from Texas. She's staying with my family until school starts" explained Mr. Weasley.

Evani smiled sweetly. "It's nice to meet you"

"You too. You'll love Hogwarts"

"What brings you here, Tori?"

"Oh. Well I'm going around to all of the offices. Perkins doesn't have any kids but you do. Here"

From the pile of papers, she handed some to the three of them. Evani looked it over. It was a flyer for something called _Wizard Battle_. The depictions on the flier showed spells crossing each other and a trophy.

"What's Wizard Battle?" she asked, interested.

"It's a tournament for underage and adult wizards. You basically get put into this huge arena and have to duel one another until one's the winner. It's really cool. Some Ministry wizards will affect the playing field and put in different obstacles. Anyone can do it. There's even a special prize. I've already gotten a few kids, mainly Slytherins. How about it, you two?"

"What's the catch?" asked Harry, suspiciously.

"No catch. There's barely any rules. Just no killing anyone"

"Isn't it unfair to put kids still in school against adults?"

"Nope. We make it a fair game. You can do any spells you want except for dark hexes"

Evani could not be more excited. It was like being in a larger training center simulation. She needed to do this. Her powers were begging to be used. She expressed interest in participating in the tournament. Tori was happy, claiming that they needed more girls. Mr. Weasley looked wary. He stopped Tori from writing down Evani's name.

"Evani, I don't think you should be involved"

"But"

"Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. You're not up to speed on the material yet"

Evani pouted at Mr. Weasley. "I'm sorry, Evani. It's much too dangerous. Thank you for the information, Tori"

"Sure. You can watch the tournament on the news network. It's going to be next Friday at noon"

As Tori left, Evani crossed her arms over her chest, getting into a bad mood. Mr. Weasley attempted to explain that it was the right decision. She ignored him. The Order just didn't want her to have fun. They treated her like a child. Before she could argue, an elderly wizard ran into the room, panting.

"Arthur, here you are. I sent an owl to your house. I wasn't sure when you'd get here. An urgent message came minutes ago"

"I know about the toilet, Perkins"

"No, it's the Potter boy's hearing. They've changed the time and venue. It starts at 8 in old courtroom Ten"

Mr. Weasley looked panicked. He jumped out of his chair.

"Down in—hurry, Harry. We should've been there five minutes ago"

They raced to the elevator lifts, which brought them deeper underground in the Ministry. Harry questioned why they would randomly change the time. Evani had a sneaking suspicion that it was not coincidence. She figured that Harry would be made to look even worse by supposedly missing his trial on purpose. The Prophet could use it to write some other fake story, portraying him as some brat who saw rules as beneath him. After a few minutes, the door slid open, revealing a dark, dungeon-looking floor. Mr. Weasley practically dragged Harry down the hallway. The concrete ground gave a more ominous feeling.

"Courtroom Ten. Here we are"

"A—aren't you coming with"

"Afraid we can't. Good luck"

Evani hugged Harry tightly. "You'll be okay. Just stick to the facts and don't lose your temper. They won't expel you"

He entered the room, shaking. Evani couldn't stand to leave him alone. She stared at the door, anxiously. Evani had been in courtrooms before back in Texas. When Jayce would regularly get arrested for stupid things, it took her and some 'special tricks' to get the charges dropped. She spent a lot of time, more than she liked, in front of judges, attempting to keep Jayce out of jail. He never changed his behavior, knowing she would be there to save him. Her friends always told her that Jayce manipulated her to get away with his foolish actions. Ten minutes later, Harry still had not left the courtroom. Evani became anxious.

"Mr. Weasley, can't we just go in there?"

"It's not allowed. He'll be fine, Evani. They can't punish him for using magic to save his life"

"But they want to. You said Fudge wants to destroy Harry's reputation"

"Fudge isn't the only one judging him. Amelia Bones will listen to Harry and analyze the facts before making a decision"

The door opened. A tall guy around 19 with curly ginger hair, wearing horn-rimmed glasses, stepped out of the room. He seemed very pompous. Evani recognized him from a picture frame next to Ginny's bed at Grimmauld Place. It contained all of the Weasleys. He was Percy, the third eldest Weasley who abandoned the family after a fight with his father. Ginny told her how Fudge made Percy a junior assistant out of nowhere. Mr. Weasley saw it as an attempt to spy on the family, who had close ties to Dumbledore. Percy, being ambitious and driven, saw his father's suspicions as envy that Percy had risen so high in the Ministry in such a short time. There was immense tension in the corridor. Percy looked at her, completely ignoring his father.

"Miss Rybek?"

"That's me"

"You're the witness for Potter's trial?"

She nodded. He brought her into the courtroom. All around, men and women in robes of crimson and black were seated at high benches. There had to be around 50 people. She thought it was a bit much for a little case of underage magic. In the middle of the room, she spotted Harry sitting in a steel chair. He looked both anxious and angry. Dumbledore stood beside the chair. He made direct eye contact with her. She could hear his voice in her head. He told her to explain what happened the night of the dementor attack but to leave out her own personal involvement. Percy sat down among the many wizards. He began writing on a piece of parchment. She read the minds of various wizards. Most of them saw Harry as clearly guilty. She decided to use her 'special tricks' to change their minds, using it many times for Jayce's own trials. Directly in front of Harry, she saw a middle-aged man with rumpled graying dark hair, wearing black robes. She remembered seeing him in the _Daily Prophet_. He was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. The men in the courtroom sat up straighter in their seats. Fudge was looking her over. Dumbledore smiled.

"Here is my witness, Miss Evani Rybek, a young muggleborn witch who is a friend of Harry's"

"We have no record of another witch or wizard in Little Whinging. We monitor that closely given…past events" said a woman wearing a monocle.

"Very true, Madam Bones. Evani is from America. Her mother is close with Harry's aunt and Evani had been visiting for the summer" he replied, using Evani's old cover story.

He conjured a chair next to Harry. Evani sat down.

"You expect us to take the word of a teenage witch?" asked Fudge.

"She was there to witness the event in question"

"There's no law against it, Minister. Miss Rybek, please describe the attack" said Bones.

Evani told them about that night. She started with Dudley and his gang teasing Harry in the park and how the weather rapidly changed. As she described the chilly atmosphere and the lights flickering, she could tell that some were siding with Harry. She talked about one of the dementors grabbing Harry.

"What did they look like?"

"They were wearing this dark ripped cloth and their hands were grey and slimy. I felt really scared and depressed. It was like I'd never be happy again"

Bones definitely believed her. Her eyes widened slightly.

"How many were there?"

"Four. One of them attacked his cousin and they cornered me too"

Harry made a soft noise. He was going to tell them that she helped with the dementors too. She mentally told him to keep quiet. He looked down at his shoes.

"And Harry drove them away with his patronus"

Fudge peered down at her. "That's what you saw, young lady?"

"That's what happened"

He turned to Dumbledore with a chuckle. "How convenient that you find a witness who happens to be the boy's friend"

"I'm not lying"

"Evani has been truthful in her account" said Dumbledore.

"You very well may have put the story in her head to corroborate with his"

A few elderly witches in the back row looked affronted at that accusation. Dumbledore's eyes lost their usual twinkle. She could tell Fudge's claim angered him.

"She did describe a dementor attack very well" said Bones.

"Amelia, dementors do not just wander into a muggle suburb and happen across a wizard. The odds are astronomical"

"I don't think anyone would believe they were there by coincidence, Minister" suggested Dumbledore.

At certain times, the men kept glancing back at Evani. Using her looks to her advantage, she would do cutesy gestures like a smile or tousling her hair. It was easily affecting them.

"Hem, hem"

The sound came from the woman beside Fudge. She was squat with a flabby face and bulging eyes, wearing a velvet bow. Her appearance reminded Evani of a toad run over by a series of trucks. Evani scrunched her nose.

"The chair recognizes Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior undersecretary to the Minister" said Fudge.

Umbridge gave Dumbledore a small smile. She questioned if Dumbledore believed the Ministry ordered the attack on Harry, considering the dementors worked for the Ministry. Dumbledore agreed it would be a disturbing idea and that they should inqure why the dementors had been so far from Azkaban. There was a huge amount of tension in the courtroom. She could feel Fudge's anger rising. His face turned a deeper red by the minute.

"Of course, there could be someone else controlling the dementors"

"The dementors are under Ministry control"

Dumbledore stepped closer to the benches. "Cornelius, I implore you to see reason. The evidence that the Dark Lord has returned is incontrovertible"

"He's not back! We are here to examine his offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Wizardry"

An argument between the two of them started. Dumbledore and Fudge went back and forth. If Dumbledore brought up a clause to support Harry's actions, Fudge countered it. He started talking about his adventures and trouble-making at Hogwarts.

"I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school"

"That is none of your business"

Fudge looked at Evani.

"There's a limitation on when those charges can be brought up. Those events have no relevance to the hearing so they have no bearing on Harry's innocence or guilt"

He seemed a little bewildered by her law knowledge. Evani had a pretty good grasp on it, considering her past with Jayce. She remembered a conversation with Hermione about the trial a few days ago.

"The law also says that magic can be used in front of a muggle in life-threatening situations"

"Laws can be changed if necessary"

"How convenient that it happens right for this trial. Is it going to change back once you see Harry expelled? That's the whole point of this, isn't it? To boost your own reputation and discredit him while you sit up in your big office, picking on a defenseless kid and refusing to believe anything he says because you're too scared to shatter your fantasy that the world with you in charge is perfect and joyful. You need a reality check. Because by the time you get it with your half brain, it'll be too late and you'll be six feet under"

His nostrils flared. Harry stared at her, open-mouthed. The other people in the room were taken aback.

"Young lady, you will show respect to me"

Evani glared. She wouldn't let an idiot like Fudge push Harry around. Fudge was no different from Bass. Both of them used their power to justify their actions and beliefs. Dumbledore put him in his place, saying that the Ministry didn't control Hogwarts and couldn't expel Harry or confiscate his wand until a trial found him guilty.

"You certainly seem to be making many changes. In the few short weeks since my dismissal from the Wizengamot, it's become practice to hold a full criminal trial for simple underage magic. Harry has been charged with a specific offense and has presented his defense through his and Evani's accounts. Now we await your verdict"

Harry looked nervous, playing with his hands. Most of the Wizengamot seemed torn on what to decide. She entered their minds, manipulating them to side with Harry. None of them could feel her presence. She suppressed a smirk. They were like little puppets.

"Those in favor of conviction?"

Fudge, along with six others including Umbridge, raised their hands. Another man began to do the same. Evani forced it down, keeping his hand immobile. He crinkled his eyebrows in frustration.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?"

The majority of them agreed with clearing Harry. He had been found innocent. She looked at Dumbledore, happy that they succeeded in helping Harry. To her confusion, he had a slight disappointment in his eyes. It was directed at her. What had she done wrong? She helped Harry win the trial. Fudge banged a small gavel on the bench, looking irritated.

"Cleared of all charges"

Harry sighed with relief. Dumbledore immediately left the courtroom…


	20. Chapter 20: Opening Up

Evani took Harry's arm. He was still quiet, looking shocked that he made it through the trial. She pulled him out of the room. Mr. Weasley was waiting outside, looking hopeful.

"Dumbledore didn't say"

"Cleared" she replied, happily.

"That's wonderful, Harry! Of course, they couldn't find you guilty based on the evidence but I was a bit worried"

She nudged Harry's side. "Harry"

He burst into a fit of laughter. She suppressed a smile.

"Evie, that was hilarious. Did you see Fudge's face when you told him off? He looked like someone smacked him"

"What happened?"

Before Evani could explain, the members of the Wizengamot left the room. Only a few like Bones acknowledged Evani, Harry, and Mr. Weasley. Fudge and Percy completely ignored them. Umbridge looked at both Evani and Harry curiously.

"You were tried by the entire court?" he asked, shocked.

"I think so"

"I'll take you both straight back to tell the others the good news. Then I'll go handle that toilet"

They walked along the corridor. Harry was much happier than this morning. If he smiled any more, it could become permanent.

"What are you going to do about the toilet?"

"It's a simple anti-jinx. It's more the attitude behind the vandalism. Some might think it's funny but it's very nasty and I"

Mr. Weasley's expression hardened, seeing something ahead. Evani followed his gaze. Fudge was speaking with a man in his early 40s with wavy platinum blonde hair and familiar grey-blue eyes. He looked strikingly like Draco. Harry's grip tightened on her hand.

"Harry, who is that?" she whispered.

"Lucius Malfoy. He's a bad person, Evie"

Based on their resemblance, she figured that he must be Draco's father. Mr. Malfoy had this aura of superiority. Fudge was speaking to him cordially. It sounded like important business. Mr. Malfoy looked over at Harry. There was a malicious gleam in his eyes.

"Well, well, well…Patronus Potter"

Harry glared. "The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape. Quite astonishing…how you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes. Snake-like, in fact"

"Yea, I'm good at escaping" he retorted.

"And Arthur Weasley too. What would you be doing here?"

"I work here" said Mr. Weasley, tersely.

The tension between them was palpable. She half expected a fist fight to occur.

"Not here, surely? Don't you work up on the second floor…sneaking muggle items home and bewitching them?"

"No"

"What are you doing here?" asked Harry.

His fingers were digging into her hand. Evani tried to keep him calm. He already avoided getting expelled. Harry didn't need to go through a second trial.

"I don't think private matters between the Minister and myself are any concern of yours, Potter. Just because you are Dumbledore's favorite boy, you can't expect the same indulgence from the rest of us"

As he smoothed out his suit, she could hear the sound of coins clinking. She didn't understand how Draco was related to this man. His father sounded so arrogant and cruel. Mr. Malfoy's eyes rested on her. She got this dark feeling from him. It made her uncomfortable.

"I see you have a new little fan"

"I'm his friend"

"Yes, so I've heard. How lucky that you were there to clear his name"

He glanced at their intertwined hands. She noticed his lips twist into a faint smirk.

"Shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"

"Certainly. Follow me"

Mr. Malfoy and Fudge went over to one of the lifts. In an instant, they disappeared, heading to one of the upper floors.

"Why was he down here?"

"Probably attempting to eavesdrop on your trial. I'll leave a note for Dumbledore. He should know Malfoy's talking to Fudge again"

"What private business are they doing? Is it just money?" she asked.

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Malfoy's been giving generously for years…gets him connections, he can ask for favors and delay laws that he dislikes…he's very well-connected"

Evani looked at her side. "I forgot my purse in there. I'll meet you back at the house"

"Be careful. Don't go wandering"

She went back towards the courtroom. Once Harry and Mr. Weasley were out of sight, she went onto one of the lifts. She pressed a button for the 1st floor. After a few minutes, she stepped out of the lift. A sign pointed her towards the Minister's office. As she opened a door, she saw Tori writing at a desk. She kept flicking her wand to send papers out of the room. Evani walked over to her. Tori glanced up and smiled.

"Evani, hi"

"Hey"

"Sorry about all this paperwork. The downside of being high up in the Ministry. Did you need something?"

"It was about that tournament. I wanted to sign up"

"Great. Are you sure Mr. Weasley won't be mad?"

"He doesn't have to know. I doubt they'll watch it on TV"

"You got it. Just meet up at the training center next Friday at noon. From there, we take you to the arena after some pre-game tests. Your secret's safe with me. They won't have a clue"

Tori wrote her name down on a list. There were about twenty other names. Evani leaned closer, lowering her voice. She claimed to see some employees on the 5th floor plotting to mess with Fudge. Tori groaned with exasperation. She got up from the desk.

"Not again"

"It's happened a lot?"

"Especially with how he's been treating Dumbledore. Yesterday, some were refusing to work as a protest to get him back on the Wizengamot. Fudge almost blew a gasket. I better fix this up before he finds out. But I have all this work"

"No worries. I can do it until you get back"

Stuffing her wand in her blazer pocket, Tori went down to the 5th floor. Evani picked up her pen. She blew on it, making it glow. The pen began to write on its own, doing her work at three times the speed. Evani snuck over to one of the doors. She crinkled her nose, using a spell to eavesdrop. Pressing her ear against the door, she heard Mr. Malfoy and Fudge.

"Cornelius, what happened to Potter being expelled? We agreed he should be made an example"

"The majority sided with him, Lucius. Amelia said it was a justified use of magic. That girl was a foolproof witness"

Her phone vibrated. There was a text from Harry, asking why it was taking her so long. She wanted to listen to this conversation more. Mr. Malfoy was acting shady. She had a feeling that he might be using magic to get inside Ministry information from Fudge himself. After the fifth text, she groaned at this lost opportunity. Evani apparated back to Grimmauld Place. She walked into the dining room. Fred, George, and Ginny were chanting while dancing around.

"He got off" they kept repeating.

Evani stifled a giggle. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were sitting at the table, looking extremely happy.

"Evie, here you are. We were worried" said Hermione.

Mrs. Weasley entered the room. "Evani, what on earth were you thinking?!"

"I forgot my purse. It costs a lot. I can't just leave it"

"Not about the purse. Your words to Fudge"

Harry blushed. He must have mentioned her little rant to Fudge. She smiled.

"It was hilarious"

"Evani"

"I just got mad. You weren't there, Mrs. Weasley. He was being a jerk"

"Mrs. Weasley, he deserved it" said Harry.

"Harry, I don't think you realize the consequences of those actions"

Lupin and Sirius entered the dining room. Evani sat beside Hermione. Mrs. Weasley conjured plates and utensils onto the table. Various foods levitated from the kitchen for lunch. Mr. Weasley told Sirius about the meeting between Fudge and Mr. Malfoy. Sirius assured him that he would tell Dumbledore. Mr. Weasley returned to the Ministry to work. Fred, George, and Ginny continued with their chant. Mrs. Weasley kept telling them to be quiet. Harry clapped a hand over his scar.

"What's wrong?"

"Just my scar. It's nothing, Evie. It happens all the time now"

During lunch, everyone was cheerful with the news of Harry's innocence. Harry hadn't looked so happy in weeks. Evani found herself thinking about the trial. She remembered the look of disappointment in his eyes. It bothered her. She didn't understand what she had done wrong. Her thoughts were broken by Ron's laughter. After lunch, the guys wanted to practice quidditch in the backyard. A charm kept it hidden from muggles, just like the house. Fred said they would teach her how to fly on a broom.

"Fred, that can wait. We need to speak with Evani" said Mrs. Weasley.

They left the dining room with Bill and Charlie. Sirius started to get up to watch them. Lupin told him to stay seated.

"We are going to resolve this animosity between you two"

"Remus"

"Sirius, it's a problem"

"Ask Miss Mood Swing what her problem is, not me. I did nothing wrong"

Evani glared. Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. Neither of them would admit to being the one at fault. Lupin looked at her.

"Evie, tell me why you reacted as you did yesterday"

"I don't need a therapist"

"Evani, we don't want you two fighting. We need to all get along" said Mrs. Weasley, calmly.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Lupin decided to try a different method. He said that they would be stuck in the dining room until they resolved the issue. A charm would keep them locked in the room. Mrs. Weasley and Lupin left them alone. Evani stared at the floor, refusing to apologize. After a few minutes, Sirius sighed. He sat beside her.

"Evie, let's talk things out. Look, what I did was just a reaction. I saw the bookcase falling and I was worried about you. I didn't want you to get hurt. The Order's here to protect you. That's what we care about. Keeping you safe"

She felt her guard coming down. Hearing that from Sirius brought up this weird emotion in her.

"I'm used to doing things by myself. I always had to be independent. My parents are barely there for me. They're always busy running their companies and doing business meetings. When I was little, we'd have the help like nannies do things for me and my brother. They just did it for the money…they didn't care. Then when my brother turned 12, they thought he was old enough to watch me. He would just leave me alone in the house while he did stupid stuff with his friends. I'd do all his chores so he wouldn't get in trouble. We barely even have meals together. Even if we do, my mom is planning some social event and my dad's on the phone, working out a deal. In my house, my dad had this room built for all my awards and trophies. They've never even been there when I won something. I remember when I was 8, I won a science fair. This idiot got a participation ribbon even though his project was just a pet rock. His parents were cheering for him. Mine were waving from the screen of a phone. I know that they—love me but they don't understand me. They're not like me. I was all alone when I found out about magic and they couldn't help me when I was scared and confused. They think I handle it just fine but they were never there to help me through it…learning to control it"

Sirius looked sympathetic. Everyone always assumed that her family was perfect. Evani loved her parents more than anything. She just wanted them to care more about her than their businesses. Sometimes, she felt more like a trophy that her family showed off to the world. She rarely told people about her insecurities. Tears filled her eyes.

"I'm not used to someone putting me first"

He hugged her. She sniffled.

"Evie, it's okay. I know how it feels to think your parents are never there for you. You're not alone now. You're going to Hogwarts and it'll feel like a second home. The kids there will understand you"

The doors to the dining room opened. Lupin entered the room. Seeing the tear stains on her cheeks, he looked concerned.

"We're fine. It's all better, right?"

Evani nodded. She made the tear stains vanish. They went outside to watch the guys play quidditch. She sat beside Ginny, feeling a huge weight off her shoulders…


	21. Chapter 21: The Wizard Battle Tournament

-A week later-Ever since the day of Harry's trial, she could only think about the _Wizard Battle _tournament. She tended to be a competitive person, always striving to win. It was a family trait. The idea of the tournament even boosted her spirits while cleaning. She decided to keep her participation in the competition a secret from everyone, even Harry. Considering how protective he acted with her, he would stop her from going. She made up a lie to the adults, claiming that her grandparents opened a new restaurant in Kensington. To have a reason to leave the house, she told Mrs. Weasley that her grandparents wanted her there to celebrate the opening. It took little effort to convince her. Evani just played up the homesick card. She was getting ready in her room. Crinkling her nose, she made her clothes circle around her bed. Considering that running would be involved, she knew not to wear a dress or heels. Evani weeded through her clothes, separating them into three piles: no, maybe, and possible. Hermione entered the room. She watched the clothes move on their own.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to pick an outfit"

"I'm sure your grandparents will love whatever you wear"

"Well I have to look good for TV"

"TV?"

Evani mentally cursed herself. She needed to keep up this restaurant act. Hermione looked at her, curiously. Evani nodded.

"Yea um their restaurant chain is huge so whenever one opens, it's big news. There's going to be reporters everywhere"

She snapped her fingers. Her pajamas changed into a pair of black denim shorts, a dark blue v-neck short-sleeved top, dark blue fingerless gloves, and black sneakers. She tied a blue ribbon around her hair as a headband.

"How do I look?"

"Very nice"

Her phone vibrated. It was already ten minutes to noon. She needed to head over to the Ministry training center.

"When will you be back?"

"Relax, Mom"

Hermione playfully glared. "Ha ha"

"I should be back for dinner"

"Be safe"

"Yea cause those salt shakers are deadly" she joked.

She left the room. After telling the adults that she was leaving, she apparated to the training center. A guard stood in front of the doors, holding a clipboard. She walked over to him, bottling up her excitement.

"Sorry, Miss. Only tournament participants are allowed inside"

"Well good thing I am one"

He looked up at her. "You're competing?"

"Yep. Evani Rybek"

The guard glanced her over, skeptically. She could tell he doubted that she would last long in the tournament. He touched his wand to the clipboard.

"You're checked in, Miss Rybek. Go inside. The coordinators will be here shortly"

Evani entered the training center. It was completely different from the usual set-up. She saw all kinds of obstacles and equipment. Some people had already arrived. Like Tori mentioned that day in Mr. Weasley's office, there were not many kids. She noticed a couple of teenagers, the same age as Fred and George. It was apparent that she was the youngest participant, though it did not discourage her.

"Hey"

Turning around, she saw a guy around 20 with an extremely muscular build. Evani could easily tell, considering his build, that he would be one of the tougher competitors. She got this dark vibe from him.

"Are you one of the competitor's little sisters here to cheer them on?"

It irked her that both the guard and this guy treated her like some child. They thought she was weak based on looks alone.

"No. I'm competing"

"American, huh?"

His eyes traveled up and down her body. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring.

"Sure a girl like you wants to get involved?"

"I think I'll be just fine"

"I'm Gage Greengrass… but I'm sure you knew that already"

"Why would I care?"

Gage smirked. "If you give me a little incentive, I'll guarantee you second place"

He touched her arm. She smacked his hand away. He chuckled.

"Feisty. I like that in my girls"

"One, I'm not your girl. Two, I don't need your help. Three, I already have my place reserved and it's first"

Gage grabbed her arm roughly. She struggled against him.

"When I want something, I get it…"

"Let her go"

Tori walked over. There was tension between them. Evani knew that they must have been at Hogwarts around the same time. It was easy to see that Gage used to be a Slytherin. He fit the descriptions she heard from Harry perfectly.

"Mind your business, Thorne"

"This is my business. Let her go, Gage"

"Or what?"

"Don't you have your lapdogs to boss around?"

Gage sneered at her and let go of Evani. He walked towards a small group, consisting of two girls and another guy. She got the same menacing vibe from them. Evani rubbed her arm. There was a light bruise from Gage grabbing her.

"Thanks, Tori"

"No problem. Gage can be a git. He thinks just because his dad's one of the heads of the law department, he can push anyone around"

Gage and his gang of friends were whispering to each other, glancing over at Tori.

"I don't think they like you"

"If they suddenly did, I might have a heart attack. They're just being Slytherins. You get used to it"

"So they're all friends?"

"Yea. You already had the unfortunate meeting with Gage. The girl next to him is Priscilla Bullstrode, a complete…frigid bitch, to be nice"

Evani giggled.

"Then there's Damien Parkinson and Kiara Montague. They're not people to mess around with, trust me. If anyone's going to cheat during these games, it's them. I'd avoid them as much as you can"

Around noon, Tori addressed the entire crowd of people. There were about 30 competitors total. Evani felt their eyes on her from time to time. Some snickered, commenting on her petite size. She ignored them. It worked in her favor. If they saw her as a low threat, they would never expect her superior skills.

"So before the game, we have some tests. They're just to test your stamina and endurance. We'll be grading you on a score of 1 to 10. It's just to see your skills. You won't need your wands"

"Why not?" asked a girl towards the back.

"Well we added a twist to the tournament to make it more fair. At random times, there will be no magic allowed"

There was a strong reaction from the crowd. They sounded panicked and confused. Gage and his friends were smirking. Evani read Gage's mind. Apparently, their parents told them all of the secrets to the tournament to prepare them. It gave them an advantage. Tori went over the rules for the tournament.

"There won't be any use of dark hexes allowed. When you get severely injured or knocked out, you're out of the tournament and will be brought to one of our medical tents. But you don't just have to worry about each other. We have our coordinators affecting the field at all times, adding in different obstacles. So let's start with the tests"

The tests were pretty simple. They reminded Evani of gym class back in school but more intense. The tests involved things like climbing and running. Evani watched each competitor, taking note of their strengths and weaknesses. Gage proved to be one of the frontrunners. Only Evani wasn't intimidated by him and his friends. Tori and the other coordinators observed them as they trained.

"Now we'll have each of you show off with magic. It's whatever you choose. You can use this to prove yourself to the other competitors. That will be the last part of the training and then it's off to the arena"

"What are the scores even for?" asked a guy, fixing a gash on his leg from falling.

"They're important. Based on your score, you'll get something to help you out in the competition. So the higher the score, the more useful your item will be"

Evani stayed in the back of the line. With everyone distracted, she broke off a piece of wood from one of the benches. She focused her magic into the wood.

"Of these a wizard is very fond, make this into a fake wand" she whispered.

It formed into the shape of a wand similar to Harry's. She needed to pretend to use it to avoid suspicion. One by one, they went over to a set of targets. Using the targets, each person showed off some kind of spell. Though they were older, a few proved to have little skill with magic. It was a bit embarrassing. Gage's gang showed off by using very powerful hexes and charms. Kiara had just used a disarming charm, strong enough to blast one of the targets off of its stand. Evani listened to three girls in front of her talking.

"Let's just give up. You know one of them will win"

"Don't say that"

"Their parents are top in the Ministry. It's not about real skill. It's about connections. Fudge will make sure they win"

"She's right. It's about impressions"

Gage was next. He winked at one of the female coordinators, a girl in her mid 20s. She blushed. Tori looked at him, disgusted. Gage took out his wand. He flicked his wand. A stream of fire emerged, striking all three targets. The targets melted into goo. He smirked, getting off of the platform. It was far from impressive. He just used a simple fire-conjuring spell. One of the coordinators repaired the targets. After a few more people, it was Evani's turn. Priscilla, Damien, Gage, and Kiara began to heckle her.

"Why don't you just go home, little girl?"

"Do you need your mommy to hold your hand?"

Tori threw them a patronizing look. She threatened to kick them out of the competition if they kept up with the insults. Evani knew what everyone in the center was thinking. The coordinators assumed her to be fragile and weak. No one expected much from her. Evani took out her wand. She made a slashing motion. A jet of silver light emerged from her wand. It passed through the targets. Nothing happened. She heard harsh laughter.

"Aw, nice try, cowgi" started Gage.

The targets split in half and crumbled into mere dust. Everyone stared at her, stunned. She jumped down from the platform. As she passed Gage, she stopped.

"That was a cute trick you did. Mine was better"

His fists clenched. She smirked, going to the back of the line. People went over to her, talking excitedly.

"That was amazing"

"Where did you learn a spell like that?"

After a few minutes of deliberating, the coordinators put the scores up onto a screen. Most of the scores ranged from a 4 to 7. The lowest score was a 3. Gage, Priscilla, Damien, and Kiara all received 9s.

"No one will beat that" she heard Kiara brag.

Finally, Evani's score flashed onto the screen. She got a perfect 10. Gage was looking at her. She waved, smiling sweetly. It was hard not to gloat in his face. He looked ready to snap her in half.

"It'll just be a few minutes until we head to the arena" said Tori.

Evani sat down on a bench, waiting to leave. The coordinators were going around, touching their wands to the competitors' arm. One of the men grabbed her left arm. He explained that he needed to put a tracking charm on her. It would help the coordinators pinpoint the location of each competitor to track their progress. He pressed his wand against her skin. It burned for a few seconds. She winced. A red circular mark formed.

"That will fade when we remove the spell. This is what you get for your score"

He handed her a small backpack, telling her to not open it until she got to the arena. Evani minimized the fake wand, sticking it in the pocket of her shorts. Pieces of trash appeared on the ground.

"What's going on?" she asked one of the guys.

"They're portkeys"

Evani looked at him, confused. "Portkeys?"

"How do you not know—you're muggleborn, aren't you?" he replied, surprised.

She nodded.

"Portkeys are objects that transport a person to a specific location. We hide them from muggles by making them look like disgusting things they wouldn't pick up. Just grab one of them"

Each of them started to pick up one of the portkeys. Evani grabbed a gum wrapper. A second later, she was transported to an enormous clearing by the woods. She only saw the other competitors. When they said arena, she kept thinking of a stadium setting. This was a lot different. Cameras levitated around them. A voice rang through the field, counting down. She thought up a strategy in her head.

"3, 2, 1"

Immediately, she ran towards the woods. She saw some people already dueling. Gage breezed through a few, knocking them out with one spell. Of the five teenagers besides her, three were out within less than a minute. A spell whizzed past her head. It came from a woman in her late 20s. She ducked, flicking her wand. The woman was thrown onto her back. Evani went deep into the woods…

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**Sorry it took so long to update. Read and Review :)**


	22. Chapter 22: Only One Can Win

Evani went deep into the woods. Up ahead, she spotted a small cave. She hid inside, sitting down. Curiously, she opened the backpack from the coordinator. It contained a small bottled water, a black cuff bracelet, various healing potions, and a vial containing glowing golden dust. A small paper gave a description of the various objects. The bracelet could be used to amplify a defensive shield, activated by the spell _protego_. She put the bracelet on her wrist. The vial was diluted fairy dust, able to cause confusion and illusions. As she observed the dust, she could hear voices. She peeked out of the opening of the cave. Gage, Priscilla, Damien, and Kiara passed by above her. One of the teenagers, who she had seen speaking to them at the training center, was walking behind them. He received one of the higher scores of the competitors. The guy was around 17 with short dark hair and dark brown eyes. Evani noticed a Slytherin emblem on his jacket. She realized that they formed an alliance to make their chances of winning better. Gage had his arm around Priscilla. She smirked.

"Did you see that loser's face?"

Pouting at Gage, she pretended to be scared.

"Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me"

All of them sniggered. Damien was holding a golden circular object. It vibrated for a few seconds.

"Stupid secrecy sensor. It's not even sensing anyone. Thorne's screwed us over on purpose"

"She favors that little American brat" sneered Kiara.

"Bet she altered her score"

"Thorne always did love mudbloods. I knew that brat was one from the moment she entered the training center. I'm going to be the one to knock her out of this competition. Trash like that needs to learn their place"

Evani glared at Gage. She resisted the urge to hit him with a spell. It would be stupid to attack them when it was five against one. Once they passed, she left the cave. A jet of light whizzed past her ear. It struck a boulder, creating a small crack. She turned around to see one of the older guys.

"Locomotor mo"

Taking out her wand, she pointed it at him, crinkling her nose slightly. His tongue got stuck to the roof of his mouth. She flicked the wand, imitating what she had seen Harry do before with the dementors. He was knocked back, slamming into a tree. To her surprise, he fell unconscious. She walked through the woods, keeping quiet. Her petite size worked to her advantage. It allowed her to stay hidden better while some people dueled. At various times, a voice would ring through the woods, announcing the number of competitors left. She glanced at her phone. It had already been almost two hours. By now, 20 people got knocked out of the tournament. Evani walked around a tree, meeting a pair of red eyes.

The eyes belonged to an enormous black dragon. She remembered seeing it in Harry's creature book. It was a Hebridean Black, an aggressive dragon with rough scales and an arrow-shaped spike at the end of its tail. None of the coordinators ever mentioned dragons. She had only seen them in movies and fairytale stories. Those dragons seemed tame compared to the one in front of her. It growled, baring its blood-stained teeth. She took a step back, causing a twig to snap. Without a second thought, she raced through the woods. The dragon chased after her. A ball of fire barely missed the top of her head. She ducked, hiding behind a tree. Another dragon appeared from the opposite direction. The balls of fire emerging from its mouth were bigger than a house. She kept her wand in front of her, creating a wall of water. The fire extinguished as it made contact.

Growling, it swiped its tail towards her. She jumped up. It was like a demented version of jump rope. The flames had caused a lot of destruction among the trees. She spotted a few damaged tulips. There was a bed of them farther down the path. She closed her eyes, focusing her magic. Her body felt warmer. A few seconds later, she emerged from a blossoming tulip within the bed of flowers, landing on her knees. The tulip shrunk back to normal size. She stood up. The first dragon she encountered blocked her path. She was cornered on both sides. The two dragons shot out streams of fire. Evani ducked quickly, keeping low to the ground. She pointed the wand at the ground. Her body sunk deeper. It encased her completely like a ball. She pushed forward, causing the rock to roll through the fire. She reversed the spell, wiping dirt from her legs.

"Gross" she whispered.

The dragons were advancing on her. She waved her wand, immobilizing them completely. It was like freezing them in time. Despite the fact that they tried to char her, she felt sympathetic. She didn't want to hurt them. With a quick flick of her wand, she repaired the damage done to the woods. She looked at the two dragons.

"You won't be like that forever…just until this is over" she whispered.

A booming voice sounded through the woods.

"From this point, no magic is allowed. We will inform you when it may be used again"

She had some scrapes on her legs and arms from being on the ground so much. Sitting on a boulder, she used a healing charm to fix her cuts.

"Look who it is"

Gage's gang was a few feet away. Someone must be really working against her in this tournament. They chased her through the woods. Hearing them close behind, she proceeded to climb up a tall tree. They were standing below.

"Oh little Miss Texas" Gage teased, faking a Southern accent.

She stood on one of the highest branches. Priscilla attempted to throw rocks at her. The rocks barely reached the first branch. Gage let out a low snarl. He shoved Priscilla aside and started to climb up the tree.

"Get her, Gage! Teach that muggle brat a lesson!"

"I got this"

Evani grabbed a pink fruit growing from the branches. She chucked it hard, hitting his head. He lost his grip, falling to the ground. She smiled.

"Got to watch out for those deadly fruits. They have a mind of their own sometimes"

"Gage, let's just wait" said the teenage guy.

"No"

"She has to come down at some point. You can get her then"

Gage glanced up at her. There was a small gash on the side of his head.

"When I can use magic, you're done, Rybek"

"I'm shaking" she taunted.

Instead of leaving, they stayed in the same spot. It started to get dark. Gage pushed around the youngest guy. Listening to their conversations, she learned that his name was Adrian. They treated him like a little servant, forcing him to do menial tasks. Gage told him to make a fire. It started a small argument. With them distracted, she climbed down the tree quietly. Kiara was holding a small jar of blue flames to make it easier to see. Evani knocked her over and picked up the jar. She took off in a sprint, hiding in some bushes. As they walked by, attempting to see her in the darkness, Gage turned on Adrian.

"This is your fault, Pucey"

"I didn't"

"Wait till she comes down" he said, mockingly.

"Gage"

Taking out a knife from his jeans pocket, Gage used it to stab Adrian's leg. Evani's eyes widened. How did he sneak it past the coordinators? Adrian cried out in pain, falling to the ground.

"If someone doesn't finish you off within the hour, I'll do it. You're pathetic"

Once they left, she stepped out from the bushes. Adrian was covering the wound on his leg. She bent down beside him.

"I can help"

"Why? Just knock me out"

"That's not really fair"

Untying the ribbon from her hair, she made a tourniquet. She used some water to wash the blood from his hands.

"Don't stand up. It'll make it worse. I can't fix it until we can use magic again. I'm Evie"

"I know. I'm Adrian" He was breathing heavily.

"You were really good"

"What?"

"In the training center with that freezing charm. Thanks for before too"

"For what?" he asked, sitting up to lean against a tree.

"You made Gage back off"

He blushed slightly. Being a Slytherin, he was used to bullying muggleborns, not helping them. The booming voice filled the woods. Magic was finally allowed again and only 5 people remained. An image flashed the remaining competitors. To her surprise, she didn't see Kiara's face. Evani took out her wand and untied her ribbon from his leg. She pressed her wand into the wound. He winced. The tip of her wand glowed blue. Within a minute, the wound was fully healed. She helped him stand up.

"Thanks"

A force knocked her to the ground. Priscilla was on top of her. Evani could see Adrian dueling with Damien. They appeared to be evenly matched. Priscilla pinned her arms to her side. Evani struggled against her.

"I am so sick of you, you little mudblood" she hissed.

"Get off me"

Priscilla pressed her wand into her neck.

"I want to make this slow and painful. Any last words, cowgirl?"

"Protego"

"Wh"

The shield that formed the cuff bracelet blasted Priscilla back. Evani picked up Priscilla's wand. Using both wands simultaneously, she casted a freezing charm. It froze her up to her neck in ice. She tried to move. Evani placed her wand on top of the ice. Adrian tied up Damien with ropes.

"Hey! You can't leave me here!" she yelled.

Both Priscilla and Damien vanished. The competition was now just Evani, Adrian, and Gage. They walked along the path.

"Nice job with Priscilla"

"Thanks. You did…okay"

Adrian let out a low chuckle. He told her that Gage found some supplies shed in the woods. They had been using it to re-stock on potions and other items. Together, they went towards the shed. She heard clicking noises. Her eyes widened, seeing an enormous spider more than eight feet tall.

"Acromantula" said Adrian.

"That's a spider? Well we just need a big bug then, right?"

"No. They can eat people"

"Of course they can" she whispered.

"I haven't seen creatures this entire time"

"Lucky you. I already fought two dragons"

"Dragons?"

Evani thought it was strange that he never encountered a single creature. She could not have been the only person to see those dragons. More acromantula appeared. She was surprised when Adrian kept her behind him protectively. The acromantulas chased them through the woods. She kept knocking over trees with a spell to slow them down. The giant spiders just moved right over the the trees like nothing. After a few minutes, they reached the supply shed in a small clearing. Adrian flicked his wand. Stones rose from the ground to help them up. The acromantulas clicked their pincers, ferociously. A jet of red light struck his shoulder. He clutched it, falling to his knees. Blood seeped through his sleeve. Gage was behind them. The booming voice sounded through the woods again.

"No magic" she heard.

"Fine with me"

Adrian tried to get up. "Sorry. Not happening"

Gage kicked him hard in the face, knocking him out. To her dismay, Adrian vanished. Gage smirked.

"Just you and me, princess. No one's here to help. No Tori, no Adrian…no magic"

He tried to punch her. She ducked, doing a quick roll. How could he try to punch a girl?! She noticed a slight limp in his left leg. There was a deep bite mark. One of the acromantulas must have attacked him. Evani kicked his bad leg. He cried out in pain. She tried to get a rock on the side of the roof. As she carefully moved down, Gage shoved her. She was dangling off the side of the building. The acromantulas were only a few feet below. She tried to push herself up. Gage stepped on her fingers. She winced, feeling her fingers break.

"Aw, does that hurt, mudblood?" he whispered in a childish tone.

He pushed down harder. "Just let go already. You can't beat me"

She noticed an open window below her. Using her free hand, she grabbed the fairy dust from her bag. She threw it into his face. He staggered back, rubbing his eyes. As she fell, she quickly grabbed onto the window ledge. She pulled herself into the shed. Seeing a few dead squirrels, she threw them outside. The acromantulas began to devour the squirrels. She heard Gage snicker. The fairy dust messed with his mind, making him think she was being eaten. She climbed up a set of stairs leading to the roof. Her hand throbbed with pain. She was starting to hate this no-magic rule.

"I won! It's over! I'm the last one left. You can bring me back now"

Gage turned around, spotting her. There was a fierce intensity in his eyes. It honestly scared her.

"How the hell are you still here?!"

He tackled her hard. Her head slammed into the roof. He pressed his arm against her throat. She could barely breathe. He slid the knife from his pocket. It pressed into her arm. She whimpered.

"I'm going to write you a little message…so no one ever forgets what you are"

The knife moved along her arm. She tried to push him off. Gage was too strong. Without magic, he had the advantage. She threw her head into his face with full force. He got off of her, holding his nose.

"Bitch! You broke my nose!"

"Magic allowed" said the voice.

She stood up. Glancing at her arm, she saw the word 'mudblood' crudely carved. Anger built up inside her. She decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. He shot hex after hex at her. Evani deflected each one. She used a disarming charm. He was knocked back a few feet. She pointed her wand at one of the trees. Its branches extended, wrapping him up like a cocoon. He was hanging upside down.

"No! It's not over! I'm not losing!"

"Accio"

His wand flew into her hand. He snarled. A loud buzzer sounded above them. The scenery changed to the inside of a tent…

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**Thanks for reading. Review! :)**


	23. Chapter 23: Aftermath

The scenery changed to the inside of a tent. There were people fixing up the other competitors. They reminded Evani of doctors. One of the coordinators walked into the tent, explaining that the healers would fix up any injuries sustained in the tournament. Gage was lying on a bed, still wrapped up in the branches.

"Get off me" he growled at one of the healers.

"Mister Greengrass, I need to cut you loose"

Evani put his wand on the table beside him. He glared at her.

"This isn't over! She cheated!"

"You need to calm down. Take a calming draught"

"I don't want a"

The healer forced a blue liquid down his throat. Gage's anger dissipated as he breathed heavily. Another healer grabbed ahold of her. He made her sit down. His wand passed over her body.

"Nothing too bad. Just need to fix that hand"

With a simple flick, all of her cuts vanished. He conjured a vial of bubbling green liquid. As he poured it on her hand, she retracted it quickly. There was a deep burning sensation.

"What is that?"

"Bone-mending potion. It's painful to repair them. Be lucky you didn't lose any bones"

The potion continued to burn for a few minutes. He noticed Gage's handwriting on her arm. His eyes widened in shock.

"Did you get this from one of the competitors?"

She remained silent. He tapped his wand on the cut. Nothing happened.

"It must have been done by a magical knife. It will take a few weeks to heal, I'm afraid. Here"

He moved his wand along her arm. The words were made invisible.

"A disgusting act. Don't let it get to you, dear"

He left her to tend to a few other competitors. Adrian walked over to her. There was an orange paste on his shoulder. He smiled.

"You did great"

"Is your shoulder okay?"

"It'll be fine. I still have my looks. Besides, girls like a guy who's injured, right?"

"Oh definitely"

"Here"

He grabbed a cloth from one of the tables and rubbed it against her hand. Her hand felt much better. He removed the cloth. The potion had vanished.

"My grandmother used to be a healer. She said these potions work better when you rub them into the skin"

"Thanks"

"Listen, I'm having a party the night before school starts. It's sort of an annual pre-Hogwarts party. I want you to come"

"It sounds fun"

"Just give me your WizSpark and I'll send you the details"

She told him her account name. Once the healer checked her hand, Evani left the tent. Her smile faltered, seeing…Harry! He was standing outside the tent with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George. Hermione had a mixed expression of fury and concern. Both she and Harry looked like they were struggling not to scream at her. Fred smiled. He clapped her on the back.

"Evie, that was awesome!"

"Did you see Greengrass's face? If he turned any redder, he'd be a quaffle" joked George.

They lifted her into the air, cheering.

"It was bloody wicked. You don't even have a scratch on you" said Ron, amazed.

Ginny hugged her, happily. "I knew you'd win"

"Evani Rybek!"

"Yea, just so you know, Mom and the others saw. She wants to kill you" said George.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and a dark-haired man, who she assumed to be Sirius in disguise, rushed over. Mrs. Weasley looked livid. Evani was reminded of when Jayce got into trouble. Her mother would have that same expression before going into an hours long lecture. She prepared herself for the same thing.

"Evani, you lied to us. You gave us a near heart attack. When Sturgis told us that you weren't at the restaurant, we thought you had been kidnapped. Then we find that you're in this dangerous tournament even after Arthur told you that Dumbledore would never allow it. You could've been seriously injured or worse. Look at what you went through. Those people had no regard for your safety. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Evani smiled, unable to contain her joy. The rush from winning the tournament overcame her.

"That was awesome!"

"Evani!"

She jumped up and down, excitedly.

"They should do this every week! No, every day! We could do it again right now! They should make classes like this"

Fred and George snickered.

"You are in a lot of trouble. You shouldn't be celebrating this"

"What, that I kicked major butt?"

"You risked your life and you lied to us"

"But it was so much fun. Sirius, tell her it was fine"

To her confusion, he wasn't smiling or laughing. She expected him to side with her. Sirius always acted like a teenager. His expression was similar to Harry's. He looked more concerned than angry.

"You shouldn't have come here, Evie. You completely disobeyed Dumbledore and"

"Dumbledore never said"

"You know he wouldn't want you here. You can't just do whatever you want"

"You're being a buzzkill"

"We're trying to keep you safe, Evie" said Lupin.

"I'm fine. You're overreacting"

Tori walked over to them. She hugged Evani.

"Evie, that was amazing. I knew you'd win. I even bet on you and I am now 1,000 galleons richer. Fudge was betting on Gage and he lost so much. You should've seen his face"

Mr. Weasley turned to Tori. He berated her for allowing Evani into the tournament. Tori struggled to defend herself. Evani had never seen Mr. Weasley so angry. He said it was wrong to put Evani into the tournament, considering her being much younger than most of the competitors. Her fists clenched when he called her a child.

"It's not Tori's fault" defended Evani.

"Evani"

"I told her not to tell anyone. I just really wanted to do it"

"We should get going. Fudge has to give you your prize and there's photos for the _Daily Prophet_" said Tori.

"This conversation is not over. We'll speak when you get home" said Mrs. Weasley, sternly.

Evani's own mother would never react like this. If her parents watched the tournament, they would be cheering. Harry and Hermione still said nothing. Evani followed Tori over to a small arena. There were at least a thousand people inside. They cheered loudly, seeing her. Evani did love the attention. Tori brought her upstairs. Fudge was with other Ministry officials like Umbridge and Mr. Malfoy. She wondered if Draco came with him. He was nowhere in the booth. A man stood to the side, holding a camera.

"Here she is, sir"

"Thank you, Tori"

Fudge sounded a little annoyed. Evani resisted the urge to brag. He handed her a bag. It jingled in her hand.

"Your victory prize, Miss Rybek. 5,000 galleons"

"Thanks"

Tori forced her to take a bunch of pictures. After about 20 photos, Evani started seeing dots in her eyes. Tori went over to a box to search for a portkey to get her home.

"Very impressive"

Turning around, she saw a man in his early 40s. He had wavy ebony hair and entrancing dark brown eyes, wearing an expensive black suit. She didn't recognize him.

"That was quite a show. You handled yourself very well"

"Oh. Thanks"

"Your parents must be proud. They're not here to congratulate you?"

"No. They're back home. They don't know a lot about magic"

"I see. You're muggleborn"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

He chuckled, amused. "Not at all, my dear. You certainly prove that blood purity is no guarantee of power. I can tell you're very far from home"

"Why do you care?"

"I'm curious about you"

"Well I'm just a normal person"

For a second, she thought his eyes flashed red. She attributed it to a trick of light.

"Oh I doubt that"

Something in her gut told her to stay away from him. He gave off this strange vibe. Tori interrupted them.

"Hi Mr. Burke. I didn't realize you had come to watch"

"Seth wanted to see the event up close. I am glad that we came. It was much more interesting than I expected"

His eyes were on Evani. She stayed silent.

"Evie, I set up a portkey back there. You can configure it yourself to take you home. Just tap it once with your wand and tell it your destination"

"Thanks, Tori"

"Have a safe trip home. I should go find Ariana and the children"

Mr. Malfoy was waiting by the stairs of the booth. He smirked slightly. Mr. Burke left with him. That was just another warning sign to her.

"Who is that?"

"Trevor Burke. He's part of a really ancient pureblood family"

"He works in the Ministry?"

"No. He's from old money so he doesn't need to work. He has his little trophy wife Ariana who's a bit of a ditz. They have two kids, Seth and Serena, both in Slytherin. Serena's your age and Seth's a year older. He's part of the popular crowd"

"Do you know them really well?"

"Yea. I always see them at Ministry parties. Mr. Burke is a real charmer. I kind of think he's not their real father because neither of them have blonde hair. I guess it just worked out that they got Ariana's hair color both times"

Evani looked at Tori, strangely. Why did she think that Mr. Burke was blonde? He had the complete opposite. Tori snapped her out of her own thoughts.

"Look, I'm sorry if the Weasleys are mad at you"

"It's not your fault. They're just protective"

"Least you have something to brag about at Hogwarts"

"Yea. Thanks for letting me do this, Tori"

She picked up the portkey, an old soup can. Tapping it with the fake wand, she told it to go to Grimmauld Place. The can began to glow. It brought her into her room. Hermione was sitting on her bed, petting Crookshanks. She looked over at Evani.

"Don't be mad at me. The tournament just sounded so fun and I"

Her eyes widened when Hermione hugged her tightly. "Hermione?"

"I was worried about you. When we got to the arena and I saw you getting attacked by those dragons"

"I was fine. Come on, you have to admit that I did awesome"

Evani pouted at her, giving her infamous puppy dog face. After a minute, Hermione sighed. There was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yes. You did great. You get one free pass to be foolish. Just promise me you won't do something like that again at Hogwarts"

"I make no such promise"

"Evie!"

They went into Harry and Ron's room. Ron was fixing his Chudley Cannons poster. Harry didn't even acknowledge her. Evani straddled him on his bed.

"Stop being mad at me"

He punched her in the shoulder. She started crying, holding it.

"Evie, I'm sorry. I didn't—I was just"

Evani giggled. "Gotcha"

He punched her again. "Ow!"

"You deserve it. You scared me half to death! Gage and his friends are deatheaters, Evie"

"What?"

"I saw Gage and Damien in the graveyard that night. Gage almost got expelled like fifty times for using dark hexes on kids. He put a 1st year in the hospital for just smiling at him"

"Well someone has mental issues"

"That's my point! He could've killed you"

"He didn't. He messed up my nail polish though with his dirty shoes"

She blew on her nails to fix her french manicure. "How do you find this funny?"

"Cause today was amazing"

Evani wanted to ask them about Burke. If he had children at Hogwarts, they could have seen him before. Hermione would probably know some information since she was like a walking encyclopedia. Before she could ask, the door opened. Ginny entered the room.

"Evie, Mom wants to see you downstairs"

"How bad is she going to yell at me?"

"Scale of 1 to 10? 100"

"That's not so bad"

Evani went down to the dining room. Dumbledore was at the table with the adults. She sat next to Sirius.

"Look, I know you're mad that I did the tournament. You obviously didn't want me to and I figure it's because Bass could've been watching or"

"It has nothing to do with Declan Bass" said Dumbledore.

"It doesn't?"

"No. You need to watch what you say to people here"

"What?"

"Your words with Fudge at the trial…he hasn't forgotten them. He was trying to seriously injure you, Evani. Remus noticed how you were the only one to fight those dragons"

"And Gage and his friends just magically found you in those woods. It wasn't coincidence. Remus said that he heard Fudge pay off one of the coordinators to put the tournament in Gage's favor" said Tonks.

Dumbledore told her that she needed to be careful how she spoke to people. In the muggle world, she had a higher standing due to her family's status. It wasn't like that in the wizarding world. Being a muggleborn made things harder for her. Her family didn't hold that same power. Evani knew it would be difficult to control herself. She had trouble keeping thoughts in her head. Like her father, she lacked a filter. She tended to say anything that came to mind, especially when angry.

"Gage is someone not to anger"

"I know he's a death eater. Harry told me"

"Then you also know Lucius Malfoy is one" "He didn't say anything to me"

"You can't speak to Draco anymore either"

Confused, she looked at Sirius. "He's my friend"

"You can't trust him, Evie"

Mrs. Weasley bit her lip lightly. She was the only one, besides Tonks, who seemed sympathetic.

"He's not one of them. That's insane"

"According to Snape, he's testing to be one with his friends. That's why he's at the training center so much. He wants to impress Voldemort"

Evani had no idea how to respond. Draco was nothing like his father. She couldn't see him being some cold, heartless killer. The adults seemed to think different. Sirius touched her hand.

"He's exactly like his father. If they're nice, it's only for ulterior motives"

"Well what motive would he have to talk to me?"

For a second, she saw Dumbledore give Sirius a warning look.

"Your friendship with Harry"

"He doesn't know about Harry"

"What?" "We never talk about him"

"But he knows…from his dad"

Sirius was far from convincing. She saw through his act. Draco met her before his father. Mr. Malfoy had no idea about her friendship with Harry until the day of the trial. They were hiding something from her. She left the dining room. The adults spoke in soft whispers. She heard Tonks insult Sirius for being a poor liar. As she walked up to her room, questions raced through her mind. What if Draco did want to be like his father, helping Voldemort's cause? Why did the Order keep secrets from her? She laid down on her bed. Crookshanks jumped onto her stomach. Absentmindedly, she scratched behind his ear. He purred gently. Ginny and Hermione entered the room.

"I guess it wasn't too bad. We didn't even hear Mom yelling" said Ginny.

"It was just a little lecture"

"Evie, are you okay?"

"Just tired" she lied.

"Go to sleep. You need it after today" suggested Hermione.

Evani found it impossible to even shut her eyes. While the girls went downstairs for dinner, she stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the Order could be hiding…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Review! :)**


	24. Chapter 24: Diagon Alley and Fairytales

-August 31st –Evani's training center schedule became more grueling. Dumbledore made her arrive very early in the morning, as early as 6, to avoid seeing many people. They didn't leave until lunchtime. Harry, assuming that she kept visiting Hogwarts, questioned her. She claimed to be catching up on her magical education so she would be at the same level as her peers. Though she wanted to be honest, Dumbledore refused. He told her it would be better to keep Harry in the dark. She was lying on Harry's bed with her head across his chest. He played with her hand.

"Are you excited about Hogwarts?"

"Yea. What house do you think I'll get?"

"Gryffindor, the best one of all"

"And why is that?"

"Well it has me in it"

Evani smiled. "That's a good reason"

"I can't wait to get back. To play quidditch, see Hagrid…I'm even looking forward to classes"

Ron came into the room, holding two envelopes. He tossed one of the envelopes to Harry.

"School letters? Later than usual"

"There wasn't one for you, Evie. I guess Dumbledore figures you can just go off of Ginny's list"

Harry scanned the list in his hand. Fred and George apparated into the room. Ron jumped, still not used to his brothers' penchant for randomly appearing.

"You know, one day, you'll do that so much that your arms will fall off" she joked.

"Long as we don't lose our supermodel looks"

She giggled. "We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard Book" said Fred.

"Means Dumbledore's found a new DADA teacher"

"About time too"

"Why? What happened?" asked Harry.

Fred explained that they heard their parents talking on the extendable ears a few weeks ago. Mr. Weasley said Dumbledore had trouble finding someone to take the open teacher position. It was believed to be cursed, considering what happened to the past teachers. Harry counted off of his fingers.

"One dead, one's memory lost, one sacked, and one locked in a trunk for 9 months"

"Wow. And the most scandalous teacher we had was the 8th grade history teacher who put a camera in the girls' locker room" Evani remarked.

Fred and George laughed. For some reason, Ron was staring, wide-eyed, at his letter. George threw a pillow at his head. It did not even faze him.

"What's up with you, Ron?"

"Did you fail 4th year and you have to re-take it? Please tell me that's it" said Fred, eagerly.

Evani took the letter from Ron. "Ooh, what's a prefect?"

"Prefect?!" chorused the twins.

"Yea. It says he was made a prefect. What is it?"

George grabbed Ron's letter. When he turned it upside down, a scarlet and gold pin fell out.

"No way"

Fred looked at Harry, surprised. "We thought you were a cert, mate. Guess all the mad stuff counts against you"

"Yea, caused too much trouble. Least one of you has his priorities straight"

George threw a scathing look. "Ickle Ronnie the prefect"

Harry picked up the badge. According to George, a prefect was like a hall monitor in the muggle world. Prefects enforced the school rules and could dock points from houses for misbehavior. Evani jumped up to hug him.

"Evie, it's not something to celebrate"

"Why not? It makes Ron important. I think it's cool"

She felt a pang of jealousy from someone. Ron was blushing. Hermione burst into the room, excitedly. She had a letter in her hand. Seeing the badge in Harry's hand, she let out a shriek.

"I knew it! Me too, Harry! Me too!"

Hermione was waving her own badge. Evani knew she would get a prefect position. She had the perfect personality, rule-abiding and straitlaced. Harry gave the badge to Ron.

"It's not mine. It's Ron's"

"It—what? Ron?"

Ron looked at her, defiantly. "It's my name on the letter"

"Oh well that's"

"A surprise" said Fred.

"N—no. It's—Ron's done loads of…he's very…"

Mrs. Weasley entered the room, carrying a laundry basket. As she placed Harry and Ron's clothes in piles, she told them to hand over the letters. Evani was going to Diagon Alley with her to get supplies.

"I need to get you new pajamas, Ron. You're growing so fast…what color would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge"

She was folding Ron's socks, not registering what Fred said. "His what?"

"His shiny new prefect badge" teased Fred.

Stunned, Mrs. Weasley turned around. Ron held up his badge, sheepishly. She let out a small cry, getting him in a bone-crushing hug. His face turned redder than his hair.

"Oh Ron, how wonderful! That's everyone in the family!"

"Are Fred and I next-door neighbors?"

As Mrs. Weasley gushed over Ron's achievement, Fred and George mimed her, pretending to blow kisses at Ron. They made vomiting motions. Evani stifled a attempted to get her off of him.

"Mom, stop it"

"So what will it be? We got Percy an owl"

"What do you mean?"

"A reward for you being prefect"

He looked at her, hopefully. "Could I get a new broom?"

"Of course you can. Breakfast is downstairs…I'm so proud of you, Ron…you can eat and then pack your things"

"Mrs. Weasley, how come I don't have a letter?" Evani asked.

"Oh not to worry, dear. That's why I came up here. Come with me"

She followed Mrs. Weasley down to the drawing room. By the fireplace, she saw a woman in her early 60s with graying black hair in a tight bun and a stern expression. Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Evani, this is Professor McGonagall. She's head of Gryffindor house and she'll be teaching you Transfiguration at Hogwarts"

"It's nice to meet you"

McGonagall inclined her head. "Dumbledore has told me quite a bit about you, Miss Rybek. I'm here on Hogwarts business. It is a Ministry requirement that all transfers take an exam"

"A test before school starts?"

"Yes. It is to see what level you are at magically"

"It's nothing to worry over, dear" said Mrs. Weasley, kindly.

"But I've never been to a magical school before. I just taught myself"

"Dumbledore knows that. It's just for the Ministry records. Even if you do poorly, you'll still be in 4th year with Ginny"

Evani got nervous about this test. Everything she knew about magic was through self-teaching. At the Dursleys, she just barely skimmed books that belonged to Harry about quidditch and creatures. She heard random spells from the training center. In her head, she worried about failing. Reluctantly, she sat in one of the armchairs. McGonagall conjured a booklet. It was 20 pages long. McGonagall explained that the test encompassed all of the core academic subjects taught at Hogwarts. After finishing the exam, she would be able to choose her electives for the school year. Once they left the kitchen, Evani started working on the exam. To her surprise, it was really easy. She somehow knew answers right away. It was like gut instinct. The subjects varied from Transfiguration to Herbology. Once she finished, she went into the dining room. Everyone was eating breakfast and talking.

"Did you have a question, dear?"

"I'm done"

"Evie, it's only been 15 minutes" said Fred, picking up a bread roll.

"Well I would've finished sooner but I always triple-check my answers"

"You didn't just rush through it to get it over with, did you?" asked Hermione, disapprovingly.

Harry and Ron avoided eye contact. She could tell that both of them did that during a few exams. McGonagall took the booklet. Waving her wand, the pages flipped on their own. Evani sat beside Ginny. After a minute, the booklet shut and words formed on the cover. McGonagall looked at it, stunned. Evani let out a small squeal, putting her head on the table. She knew she did horrible.

"Evie, it's okay"

"No it's not. My dad flips out on my brother when he gets a B. I've never gotten less than an A before. In my family, less than an A is failing"

"Don't ever introduce me to your parents then" said George, causing Ginny to hit his arm.

McGonagall put down the booklet. "You received a perfect score, Miss Rybek"

"Meaning what?"

"It means you could graduate from Hogwarts already" said Sirius.

Before she could say something, he interrupted her. "But you're not. Don't try that"

McGonagall handed her a sheet of paper. It was a list of electives at Hogwarts. She told Evani to pick a minimum of two courses. The classes included Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Ginny looked at the list, curiously. She questioned the absence of Muggle Studies. McGonagall informed them that it became a required course due to a change in educational requirements. The Ministry wanted to better promote wizard-muggle relations so they made it mandatory for 3rd to 7th years. Fred and George disliked the idea of taking another class.

"I will contact Professor Dumbledore about your test while you decide"

Evani glanced over the list. Her friends helped her decide what to take. Sirius suggested not to take subjects that sounded boring to her.

"Definitely not Arithmancy"

"Why not? It's a very enjoyable subject" said Hermione.

"You think every subject is fun"

She glared at Ron. Evani scrunched her nose.

"I hate math. It has no point in life"

After a few minutes, McGonagall returned to the dining room. Based on her scores, Dumbledore decided to place Evani in 5th year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled. Ginny looked annoyed.

"What?!"

"Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"That's so not fair. Evie is 14 like me so she should be in 4th year with me"

"Stop being dramatic" replied Bill, rolling his eyes.

"Did you decide on your electives?" inquired McGonagall. Evani nodded.

"I just don't want to take Arithmancy"

"Evie, don't. That's suicide. You'll go mental" protested Ron.

McGonagall took the list, marking it with her wand. She conjured a letter for Evani. It listed all of her supplies and books. McGonagall left the house.

"Evani, we better get going"

"Why does Evie need to go?"

"Fred, she needs a wand and to get fitted for her uniform"

Evani never had a uniform for school. She could only imagine what horrible fashion disaster the students wore. Using the floo powder, they went to some place called Diagon Alley. It looked like a large strip mall where stores lined the cobblestone street. Evani conjured her bag of winnings from the _Wizard Battle_ tournament, putting it in her purse. For the next few hours, they went into various shops, getting Evani's supplies. They had her measured for her uniform at Madam Malkin's. Due to her petite frame, she received a custom set. She kept the uniform hidden in the box, refusing to look at it. Evani wanted to get a new dress for Adrian's party. There was a clothing store called Twilfitt and Tatting's nearby. Mrs. Weasley scanned over the lists.

"Mrs. Weasley, why don't you go get the broom for Ron and I'll get my wand myself?"

"Are you sure, dear?"

"Yea. I can handle it"

"Alright. We'll meet in front of Flourish and Blott's to get the books"

Once Mrs. Weasley disappeared around the corner, Evani entered the clothing store. Their clothes were more upscale. A sapphire blue mini dress with a lace design caught her attention. It was tight-fitting to show curves. She took it off of the rack.

"That's a pretty dress"

A girl, Harry's age, walked over to her. She had shoulder-length ebony hair and dark brown eyes. The girl wore unflattering clothes, consisting of a tank-top that showed a lot of cleavage and a mini ruffled skirt, so tight that a small part of her hips rolled over its sides. Looking at her face, Evani was reminded of a pug. She found it hard not to laugh.

"Thanks. I'm just looking around for a party"

"Oh, what party?"

"Adrian..."

"Adrian Pucey?"

"That's it"

"You don't go to Hogwarts, do you?"

"I just transferred. We met during the _Wizard Battle _tournament"

"That's so lucky. Most kids would kill for an invitation"

Curiously, she entered the girl's mind. She found out her name was Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin pureblood who came from a wealthy family. Pansy and a few other girls formed the popular clique at Hogwarts, which she led. Evani had no idea how anyone could admire her. She dressed very trashy. A girl like this would be part of the outcast group at Evani's old school. Maybe wizards had different standards. She read Pansy's thoughts, knowing she saw Evani as a threat. It made her smirk inwardly. Pansy was being falsely kind.

"I'll be there too. Can I give you some advice since you're new?"

"Sure"

"My friends and I run the school. It's just a little party rule but no one wears blue. That's my color"

Evani knew blue would be wrong for her skin tone. This girl had poor fashion sense. Remembering what Dumbledore told her about holding her tongue, she kept it to herself.

"I didn't realize"

"You still have time to pick another dress"

"I'll do that"

"Maybe we'll see each other tonight"

"I'll know what color dress you're wearing"

"And you'll try to impress me"

As Pansy walked away, Evani rolled her eyes. Pansy turned back around.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson, by the way"

Evani smiled sweetly. "I know. I'm Evie"

She decided to get the dress she wanted. No one could tell her what to do. After buying some cute heels to match, she hid the bag inside her purse and walked down the street. She stopped, seeing a pet store. The letter mentioned being able to bring a cat, owl, or toad. Interested, she entered the store. There were all kinds of animals from rats who did tricks to a rabbit that transformed into a silk hat. She had been petting a fluffy white kitten when she heard a soft yipping sound. It came from the back area. Walking over, she heard the noise again inside a dusty box. A tiny wolf cub stuck out its head. It had black fur with golden eyes and a red stripe on its ears, back, and tail. As it sneezed from the dust, it emitted a small flame from its mouth. Her eyes widened. The color of the stripes changed randomly. Yellow caused its fur to spark with electricity, blue caused it to shoot streams of water, and brown caused it to manipulate the wooden floor. She felt this strange connection.

"You are the cutest thing ever"

She picked it up carefully. The stripes turned to a golden color, matching its eyes.

"I am so buying you. I'll name you Shadow"

It nipped at her hand. She went over to the counter. The manager was attempting to placate an eagle owl.

"Excuse me?"

She looked at Evani. "Can I help you, miss?"

"I'd like to purchase this"

The woman's eyes rested on Shadow. "I've never seen that thing before. Where did you find it?"

"It was in the store, hiding in a box. How much?"

"Let's see…3 galleons"

Evani handed her the money and left the store. Shadow jumped into her purse. Evani finally reached the wand shop called Ollivander's. It was tiny and shabby with thousands of boxes lined up against the walls. Before she could ring the bell on the counter, a ladder slid across the wall of boxes. A man with pale eyes was standing on the ladder. He smiled gleefully.

"I've been wondering when I'd meet you in person, Miss Rybek"

"How do you know my name?"

"Your win at the recent tournament…fantastic"

"Oh. Thank you"

The man stepped down from the ladder. "I was expecting you. I knew that wand you had was a fake"

"You did?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh yes, my family has been in wandlore for centuries. It will be our little secret"

He went over to the counter. A measuring tape levitated from the counter.

"Hold out your arm"

She watched the tape do various measurements on her right arm. Ollivander took out one of the boxes, removing a thin wand. He handed it to her, telling her to wave it. She flicked the wand. One of the windows shattered. He repaired it himself. Evani tried at least 20 different wands. Ollivander did not seem to mind. He was liking the challenge. She put down one of willow with unicorn hair.

"I think this is hopeless"

"Not at all, dear"

Ollivander lifted her hand. He shivered slightly.

"Wait here"

She watched him disappear in the back of the shop. A minute later, he returned with an ornate box. He placed it on the counter. When he opened it, she saw a ebony wand with sapphire gems in a circle around the handle and sapphire swirls all over. He encouraged her to take it. She picked up the wand. This surge of energy went through her body. She gasped lightly. Blue sparks emitted from it. Ollivander clapped his hands together.

"Yes, yes, that is the one. How interesting"

"Interesting?"

"This wand is quite different from any other. It has been in this shop waiting for its owner since the 1500s. My grandfather came to possess it from another who entrusted him with it. He could never pick it up. Each time anyone else has tried and many have, the wand rejects them…until now. It's 9 ½ inches, made of oak with a core of basilisk fang and the heartstring of a Romanian Razortail, an extinct dragon species. The only wand of its kind. A wizard who owns this wand is very special. I think we can see that in you already, Miss Rybek. I expect that you will do incredible things"

Evani thought Ollivander was joking with her. How could a wand never be picked up? She smiled politely.

"How much?"

"No charge. Meeting you was payment enough"

He gave a small bow.

"Thank you"

She left the store, examining her new wand. All these years, she never used one. It was a different experience. She noticed an etching of a dragon on the handle. As she tried to think of the best place to put it, she felt something on her wrist. Her wand had bent into a circular shape, attaching to her wrist like a bracelet.

"Good hiding spot"

Following the street signs, she was able to get to the bookstore. A sign hung in the window, reading '_Meet Everard Grimm: 12 to 5. Accomplished Oracle, acclaimed author. A unique opportunity_'. Under the writing was a picture of an elderly man, possibly older than Dumbledore, with snow-white hair and silvery eyes. She entered the bookstore. It was extremely crowded.

"Can I help you, miss?"

A man, who looked like a manager, walked over.

"Yes. I need my school books"

"Do you have your list?"

She handed him her supply list.

"5th year. I'll get these for you. You can have a look around if you like"

He disappeared between the numerous shelves. Curiously, Evani walked around. She ended up in the fantasy section. There was a fairytale book by that Grimm person. She flipped through it, noticing similar stories to muggle fairy tales. Unlike normal books, the pictures moved. She smiled, watching a depiction of Little Red Riding Hood.

"Hello there"

Looking up, she saw the man from the posters. He had a slight German accent.

"Hi. You wrote this, right?"

"Yes. I am Everard Grimm"

"It's nice to meet y"

The man brushed her cheek. She was taken aback. He had this almost frenzied look in his eyes.

"Just as I pictured"

"I'm sorry?"

"Those lips, the hair, that face…"

"Heh, I really should be"

"Just like the story. You don't know, do you?"

He grabbed the book from her. Evani contemplated running while he was distracted. He opened it to one of the stories, Snow White. The page showed a picture of young Snow White being attacked by her evil stepmother.

"This is you"

"That's really sweet to say but"

"It is you"

His tone became a bit manic. It made her nervous. She looked around for the manager.

"I am an Oracle. I can see all"

Evani nodded, not wanting to get him mad. "I bet you can. I need to leave"

"Just as I've seen…no one else knows but I put prophecies into these books. I twisted them to fit a children's tale to hide them from the wizarding community"

She giggled nervously, hoping someone helped her. It would be wrong to knock out an old man. If he got any creepier, she might have no other alternative. Shadow growled lowly, not trusting this man either.

"That's an interesting approach. It was nice meeting you, sir. I need to go"

He grabbed her arm. "It's happened already, hasn't it? The wizard in power of your land attempting to kill you and then you being banished from returning to your home…just like the story"

How could he know about her situation with Bass? She brushed it off as coincidence.

"No. Snow White is about an evil queen who tries to kill her because of her beauty"

"Out of envy. He is jealous of you, your power…just as I've seen"

"Well I don't have seven dwarves surrounding me. I think you're mixing up fantasy with reality, sir"

"No. You are in grave danger. You must go to see the Oracles"

"Stay away from me. I'm not a fairy tale character!"

"Evani, here you are. Did you get your b"

Mrs. Weasley came over, holding multiple bags. Her eyes widened at the sight of Grimm. She dropped the bags.

"Unhand her at once. What on Earth are you doing?"

"Mr. Grimm!"

The manager from before took hold of him. Evani rubbed her wrist. Mrs. Weasley looked at her, concerned.

"Evani, are you injured?"

"No. I'm okay"

Another employee arrived to help.

"Let go of me"

"Mr. Grimm, you can't assault customers. I think we need to call your son"

"I am assaulting no one. You foolish men haven't seen what I have. You must let me take her. She needs to be protected. She's in grave danger"

He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Take her to the Oracles! They must know that she's alive! He knows of her importance! The immortal one will take her for himself and turn her dark! You cannot let it happen!"

Alarmed, she kept her hand on Evani's shoulder. The employee forced him out of the aisle. Everyone was staring, whispering about the encounter. Evani wanted to turn invisible. The manager wiped sweat from his forehead.

"I am very sorry for this. Mr. Grimm has become a bit addled with his old age. He's been having little outbursts like that lately. Let me make up for this distress. Your books will be free, ma'am"

"That's not necessary"

"It's the least I can do. What years do you need?"

"Three sets for 5th, two sets for 7th, and one set for 4th"

Flicking his wand, he made bags filled with books appear. Evani picked them up. The manager kept apologizing for the incident. Mrs. Weasley brought her back to Grimmauld Place.

"Mrs. Weasley, can we not tell anyone about this?"

"Of course, dear. Are you sure he didn't harm you?"

"He was just talking crazy. Is he really a seer?"

"Oh yes, one of the most celebrated. He's part of a special group called the Oracles"

"Like in Greek mythology?"

"Yes. They're situated in Greece and their skills are far above that of a normal seer. The Oracles consistently make prophecies, some very important to the wizarding world. Grimm was the head Oracle until about ten years ago when he retired. His son took his place. I'm going to get dinner started. Why don't you bring these upstairs?"

Evani entered Harry and Ron's room. Ron was trying to get his prefect badge as Fred and George tossed it to each other. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione sat on his bed, watching.

"Knock it off!"

"Or what, ickle prefect Ronnie?" teased George.

Harry noticed her. He asked her about the trip to Diagon Alley. Not wanting to bring up the bookstore incident, she said it was fun. She sat beside Ginny on the bed. Shadow poked his head from her purse.

"What is that?"

"Only the cutest thing in the world. This is Shadow"

"You got it at Diagon Alley?" asked Hermione, curiously.

"Yea. He was alone in a box"

"A very strange coloring"

"He can do a trick. Watch"

She placed Shadow on her lap. His stripes turned blue. Shadow sneezed, letting out a small stream of bubbles. Evani clapped. Ginny's eyes widened.

"I've never seen a wolf do something like that" said Fred.

He picked up Shadow. As Fred inspected him, Shadow's stripes turned yellow. Evani got a bad feeling.

"Fred

"I don't get how it"

Suddenly, Shadow let out a huge bolt of electricity. Fred landed on his butt. Shadow jumped back into Evani's arms. He let out a series of barks like laughter. Fred panted heavily.

"Bloody hell"

"He's not used to you yet"

Evani and Ginny kept playing with Shadow. They would throw balls for him to catch or let him do tricks. Hermione wondered if he had been hit with a spell to give him those abilities. Mrs. Weasley called them down for dinner. Evani placed Shadow on her bed with Crookshanks. They went down to the dining room. It looked like a miniature party. A banner hung across the table, reading '_Congratulations Ron and Hermione: New Prefects_'. There were a lot more Order members than usual.

"I thought we'd have a little party to celebrate"

George rolled his eyes. Evani's phone vibrated. She slipped into the hallway while everyone congratulated Ron and Hermione. It was a message on WizSpark from Adrian, telling her the address for the party. She needed a quick plan to get out of the house. Tonks was leaving the dining room. Evani made tears well in her eyes as she stared at her phone.

"Evie, here you are"

Her smile faltered. "What's wrong?"

She sniffled. "Nothing"

"You look ready to cry"

"No. Everything's perfect"

"You can talk to me"

"I just got a text. My friend Ryder is hurt. He got in a bad car accident with his brother. My friend Isabel texted me that he's in the hospital. It's all my fault"

"Of course not"

"Yes it is. They were drinking and usually, I stop them from drinking too much. I'm the worst person ever. I just left them. Who does that?"

"Why don't you go see him?"

A well-placed tear trickled down her cheek.

"I can't. I would feel terrible for missing the party and"

"I'll tell the others. They'll understand. You should be there for your friends. They're important to you"

She hugged Tonks. "Thanks, Tonks"

Once Tonks returned to the party, Evani's tears vanished. She smirked. That performance was Oscar-worthy. Crinkling her nose, she changed into her outfit with a black coat over it and apparated to the address. She landed outside an enormous manor…

* * *

**So I got the idea for the fairy tale part from Once Upon A Time, one of my favorite shows. I'm not going to do that kind of storyline where Evani is actually from a fairy tale world. Grimm made up the story to explain a prophecy that he thinks has to deal with Evani. The question is who does know about the actual prophecy and why did he want to keep it hidden since Mrs. Weasley said these Oracles make very important prophecies for the wizarding world. I promise that they'll get to Hogwarts soon. I'm just trying to develop Evani and her relationships with the characters. I didn't want to just have her go straight to Hogwarts and she's automatically friends with everybody. **

**Thanks for reading. Review! :)  
**


	25. Chapter 25: The Slytherin Party

She landed outside an enormous manor. As she walked up the steps, the door opened. There was a small house-elf, wearing a tattered pink cloth. The house-elf bowed. Evani was not surprised to see one in Adrian's home. Sirius once told her that all of the wealthy, aristocratic pureblood families used house-elves to do their chores.

"Hello Miss. Are you here for Master Adrian?"

"Yes"

Evani stepped into the manor. She made her coat vanish.

"Follow me, Miss"

"What's your name?"

"Twinkle"

"Thank you, Twinkle"

Twinkle's ears twitched happily. There were kids everywhere. They definitely looked more her social class. She followed Twinkle down the hallway. Kids kept whispering as she passed.

"Who's that?"

"Wasn't she the one in the tournament?"

Twinkle stopped at one of the doorways. Most of the party seemed to be in here. Adrian walked over to them.

"Your guest, Master Adrian"

"Get out, Twinkle. Stay by the door like you're told"

"Yes, Master Adrian"

Twinkle scurried away. Adrian smirked. He took Evani's hand and kissed it.

"I'm glad you made it"

"I never miss a party"

"You look gorgeous"

Other guys surrounded her. Some attended Hogwarts, including Adrian's close friends Graham Montague, Miles Bletchley, and Cole Warrington. She figured out that all these kids were current or past Slytherins. They flirted heavily with her.

"You guys are really sweet"

"Aren't they?"

Pansy and three other girls walked over. The girls appeared to be carbon copies of Pansy. Their dresses looked a bit trashy. Pansy's sky blue dress, which went terrible with her complexion, was far too small for her. Her heels did not match well either.

"Go away" she told the guys.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "I'll get you a drink, Evie"

The guys scattered. Evani could not believe that they listened to her.

"Wow. They're like trained puppies, huh?"

"They know who's in charge"

The three girls with her threw contemptuous looks at Evani. She was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Did you forget our conversation in Diagon Alley, new girl?"

"No. I just decided to wear the dress. It looked perfect on me and I couldn't resist"

"Everyone makes mistakes. You just don't realize how it works yet. I can make things really easy for you at Hogwarts. If I accept you, everyone does"

"I know how it works"

"You have potential and our group is really tight but I think we could fit you in"

Evani nodded. "That's such a nice offer…but I'll have to pass"

"What?" she asked, irked.

"I make my own friends"

With a wink, she walked away. "That was really brave"

Evani looked over at one of the leather couches. A girl, her age, was sitting by herself. She had long wavy ebony hair, ocean blue eyes, and a petite figure, wearing a cute purple and black mini dress. Evani wondered why she was alone. The girl nodded over at Pansy and her clique.

"Standing up to Pansy. I think even most guys wouldn't try that. You're definitely a lot better than her"

"Don't let Pansy hear you say that"

"I'm not scared of her"

Evani smiled, sitting beside her. "I'm Evani"

"I know. I saw you in the _Wizard Battle_ tournament. You were unbelievable. I'm Serena"

"You don't look like you're having fun"

"They're not my friends. I'm only here because my mother forced my brother Seth to bring me. I didn't want to come"

She realized that Serena must be Mr. Burke's daughter. Tori mentioned that his children were called Seth and Serena. Unlike her father, Serena seemed very sweet and innocent.

"Why not?"

"Because everyone here is an idiot. Combined, they have the IQ of a raisin"

"They don't seem that bad"

"You don't know them yet. I have since I was little. They're accepting you because you're really pretty and powerful. If you weren't that great in the tournament, you'd be tormented like all of the other muggleborns. That's how these purebloods are. They say they hate all muggleborns but show them one with impressive skill and they're hypocrites. You really shouldn't be sitting with me"

"Do you have cooties?" Evani joked.

"I'm not exactly popular at Hogwarts"

"I'm beginning to think this school has it backwards when it comes to popularity. Is it run by a pack of dogs?"

Serena giggled. "No"

"So how are guys not throwing themselves at you? You're pretty and nice"

By her bright red face, Evani could tell that Serena rarely heard compliments. She must have a rough time at Hogwarts. Serena explained that her brother and his friends made it hard for her. Her brother had a bad reputation. When Serena started at Hogwarts, everyone assumed she was like him. It made it difficult to make friends. Seth also scared off anyone who might attempt to befriend her. She was the supposed weird girl in Slytherin for not being as cruel. The Slytherins made it a regular habit to torment Serena.

"Only a few kids bother to talk to me"

"Guess I'm one of them"

"I don't want to ruin school for you"

"You're not. I don't care what anyone says. I decide who my friends are"

For a few minutes, they got to know each other better. Serena was a little shy, a result of her brother's mistreatment. Evani easily related. Both of them had rotten older siblings. Beneath her shy exterior, Serena did have a fire to her. Evani hoped to bring it out. She learned that Pansy's lapdogs were Millicent Bullstrode, who tended to be very aggressive, Daphne Greengrass, Gage's sister and the school gossip, and Tracey Davis, a supposed fashionista. As Serena told her more about Pansy and her clique, a bottle of a dark red liquid dangled in front of her. Adrian was holding it. She took it from him.

"It's firewhiskey. Not too scared to drink alcohol, are you?"

"Not at all"

Evani drank a small sip. It tasted pretty good. Dance music played from the sound system.

"Dance with me"

"I'm talking to Serena"

"Serena's used to being alone"

She glared at Adrian. "That's not nice"

"She won't care"

"It's fine" said Serena, quietly.

Evani had noticed Serena looking over at one of the guys every few minutes. His name was Nic Harper. He had just graduated from Hogwarts. When Serena told her about him, she got this adoring tone to her voice.

"Go ask Nic to dance" she whispered.

Serena's face flushed bright red. "What?" she squeaked.

"He likes you"

"N—no, he doesn't"

"You won't know until you try. He's totally cute. Go ahead"

"I can't. If Seth sees"

"He doesn't control you. Ask Nic to dance"

Evani nudged her. Shyly, Serena went over to Nic. They started talking. The party was a lot of fun. She kept dancing and flirting with different guys. Serena came out of her shell. At one point, Nic even kissed her cheek. It was a start. Pansy and her clique threw constant dirty looks at Evani. Despite the excitement from the party, she kept thinking about the bookstore incident. She tried to drink to forget about it. As she grabbed her 4th bottle of firewhiskey, someone covered her eyes.

"Guess who"

Evani turned around to see Draco. She forgot all about her promise to the Order. No one could force her not to talk to him. She made her own decisions about people. Whatever his father did meant nothing about Draco himself. Evani playfully scrunched her nose.

"Ugh, it's you. I was hoping for Johnny Depp"

"Johnny who?"

"A very hot actor"

"Well, I might not be an actor but I'm still one of those things you mentioned"

She giggled.

"You look beautiful"

"Thanks. You look…okay"

"Okay?"

"That's being nice" she teased.

"Well do I look good enough to dance with?"

"I guess"

"You're being very mean to me"

"What are you going to do about it?"

He grabbed her around the waist, making her smile. They grinded with each other. Draco's hands rested on her hips. As the song changed, he spun her around. He kissed her hand, moving up her arm.

"Draco" she giggled.

"What happened?"

His eyes were on the cuts on her arm. The charm had worn off, revealing Gage's handiwork. She pulled her arm away.

"I'm getting another drink"

Quickly, she went towards the kitchen. Draco stopped her before she even reached the doorway. He forced her to sit down on a couch. His thumb brushed over the cuts.

"Gage did this, didn't he? I was at the tournament. I saw the git take out a knife when you were fighting on the roof"

"It's nothing"

"It's not nothing"

His protectiveness reminded her of Harry. Why did all these people think she needed a rescuer? She was capable of handling herself. Taking out his wand, he tapped the cuts. Nothing happened.

"The healer said it would take a few weeks. By tomorrow, it'll be gone"

She covered it up again. Draco still held onto her arm.

"I'll bash his face in"

"Draco, just forget it. This is a party. We're supposed to be having fun"

She got distracted by an argument. It was between Nic and two guys, Draco's age. One of them looked similar to Serena but instead of blue eyes, his were dark brown. His facial features reminded her of someone else. She realized that he must be Serena's brother Seth. The guy beside him was slightly taller with dark skin. Serena tried to keep Seth and Nic apart. Seth shoved her aside.

"Don't touch her like that"

"She's my sister. I can do what I want. You're the one who needs to back off"

"He didn't do anything wrong" said Serena.

"He was kissing you"

Everyone watched their argument. No one tried to stop them. They all looked eager, anticipating a fight. Draco simply smirked.

"I'm a girl, Seth"

"He's too old"

"He is not. You sleep with half of Hogwarts and throw them away like trash just like Blaise and Draco" retorted Serena.

She indicated the guy next to Seth, who must be Blaise. Were Draco and Blaise the friends of Seth that Serena mentioned as bullies and players?

"But I can't kiss one decent guy? You're a moron"

"He's drunk if he even looked at you"

"Leave her alone. She can do what she wants" said Nic.

"Shut up. When my dad hears about this, he's going to destroy you. I'll love to watch"

"Shut up, Seth" said Serena.

"Why? Did I ruin your first and only kiss?"

Serena looked embarassed. Evani wanted to comfort her. No one seemed to care about her feelings. She heard Pansy and her friends shriek with laughter. To her confusion, Draco let out a small snigger. Serena left the room, upset.

"If I see you near my sister again, I'll hex you myself"

Nic simply glared and went upstairs. Some of his friends followed after him. Seth and Blaise walked over.

"Nice one, Seth" said Draco.

Evani was apalled by his behavior. Maybe Sirius had a point about Draco being like his dad. She did not understand how he could be so sweet at the training center and during their WizSpark conversations but then regarded how Seth treated Serena as funny. It reminded her of when Gage and his friends insulted a girl before the tournament for using a weak spell.

"Remind me why I can't just get rid of him myself. I don't know what Dad sees in him"

His friends noticed her. "Guys, this is Evani, the girl I told you about from the training center. These are my friends, Seth Burke and Blaise Zabini"

"Draco did not do you justice. You are even sexier in person" said Blaise.

His eyes flickered to her chest. She feigned a smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I'll be right back"

Draco grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

"To check on Serena"

Seth scoffed. He opened a bottle of firewhiskey.

"Don't bother. My sister does this to every person she meets"

"Does what?"

"Puts on a 'Poor me' routine to get friends. Don't fall for it"

Evani glared. "It's not some act. You shouldn't treat her like that"

"Evie, Seth was just"

"Just what?" she asked Draco.

"He's her older brother"

"That's not an excuse for being rude"

She left the party, going outside. Serena was sitting by the pool. She had her head between her knees. Evani remembered an incident involving her and Jayce at her 11th birthday party. Like Seth, Jayce embarassed her in front of a boy she liked by dumping soda on her dress. He did it just for his own amusement. Evani had been in Serena's same position, crying in the backyard for an hour until her father found her and made things better.

"Serena?"

Tears trickled down her face. "I'm fine"

Evani sat beside her. "You're not"

"You don't need to be here with me. Go have fun…"

"I don't care about the party. I'm not leaving you like this"

"I should be used to it. Seth always does this to me"

Secretly, Evani crinkled her nose. A box of tissues appeared. She gave one to Serena. Sniffling, Serena wiped her eyes. Her eyeliner was smudged.

"If it makes you feel any better, my brother's ten times worse than Seth"

"Is that possible?"

"Trust me. I'm sorry about what he did"

"He can never let me have fun. It's like it"

"Ruins his happiness"

"Exactly"

Evani rubbed her back, comfortingly. "Don't let it get to you. I've learned from personal experience that everytime you show that it bothers you, he just does it more"

She hugged Evani. "Thanks, Evie. You're like the first person to care about how I feel. Every kid here always sides with Seth"

"There is one upside"

Evani nudged her side. "You kissed Nic"

Serena blushed deep red. She had a small smile on her face.

"And he stood up to Seth. That's a triple plus"

Taking out her wand, she fixed her make-up. She turned to Evani.

"So you're Draco's new prey, huh?"

Evani looked at her, confused. "Prey?"

"You're the girl from the training center"

"He talks about me?"

"More like brags to every guy he knows"

"What does he say?"

"She's so sexy. They don't make girls like her at Hogwarts" said Serena, imitating Draco.

Did Draco really only focus on her looks? Evani found it hard to figure out which was his real personality. She thought about what Sirius told her after the tournament. He believed that all Malfoys had ulterior motives. Maybe Draco's motive was to sleep with her. He had no interest beyond getting her in bed.

"I'm surprised he didn't drug your firewhiskey"

"Is he like that normally?"

"All the time. Girls throw themselves at him. Mostly Slytherins but the girls in other houses admire from afar. He's the Slytherin Prince"

"I didn't know he was"

"A pig?"

"Yea. He's like completely different from how he is when we're alone"

"It's all an act, Evie. He does it to get girls in bed. He kept bragging that he'd get you soon and when Seth and Blaise wanted to meet you, he said you were his"

"His?" she asked, annoyed.

Draco did not own her. It made her sound like some pet. Evani was turned off by this side of him. Serena showed her his true nature.

"Let's not talk about him. Let me take you home"

"Evie, you don't need to"

"This party is getting a little lame. Come on"

They went back into the house. Draco, Blaise, and Seth were talking with a group of kids, including Pansy and her clique. The guys played around with a quaffle like a miniature game of quidditch. Draco showed off with a snitch by catching it after it left his hand for a few seconds. Seth had his arm around one of the older girls. Blaise moved his hand up Daphne's dress, making her giggle ditzily. Evani scrunched her nose in disgust. Pansy clung to Draco. With each catch, she let out a squeal. He looked slightly annoyed. She kept trying to kiss him.

"Pansy's obsessed with him"

"I can tell"

"She thinks they're dating because she's delusional. He hooks up with her when he's bored. She's the princess to his prince"

Seeing Evani, he shrugged Pansy off and walked over. Seth and Blaise followed. Pansy shot her a death glare. Serena shoved Seth when he grabbed her arm roughly. They argued with each other. He called her a brat for running off after his fight with Nic.

"Evie, can we talk?" asked Draco.

"There's nothing to talk about"

"I feel like you're mad at me"

"Maybe I need a doggie treat"

"What?"

"Cause you own me, right? I'm yours"

Draco glared at Serena. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the hell did you say to her, you brat?"

Evani pushed him back.

"Don't talk to her like that. What, are you mad that I see through you now?"

"Evie, Serena was lying. I never said that. You know me"

"Of course I do. I know you perfectly"

She took the quaffle from Blaise. Like a basketball, she spun it on her finger. An idea popped into her head.

"I happen to be very fluent in douchebag, your main language. We all know Draco. He's self-proclaimed royalty, the Slytherin Prince, a star quidditch player and hooks up with all the girls who drop their panties for his good looks and his money. Hogwarts is like his little playground"

Some guys, like Nic, looked interested by her personal attack. She could tell not everyone adored Draco. Kids whispered to each other. She circled him, continuing to play with the quaffle.

"He's also a huge bully. He puts down everyone for his own enjoyment and thinks that anything he wants, he gets. No one else gets a say. He doesn't understand that not every girl falls for his lines or his charm. Some girls can see through his little charade"

Draco was silent. Serena suppressed a smile.

"There are three reasons he acts this way. One, underneath that tough alpha male exterior is a little girl trying to get out of the closet"

A few kids sniggered. He started to look humiliated. She passed the quaffle back and forth between her hands.

"Two, like the cavemen from millions of years ago, his brain is underdeveloped so he understands very little. Because he is so far behind mentally, he takes this out on his intellectual superiors which is pretty much everyone but his two sidekicks. Now the third reason is my guess"

Evani rolled the quaffle down her arm and balanced it on the back of her hand. She looked around at the other kids.

"He has a small dick"

A lot of kids were unable to control themselves, laughing hysterically. Serena covered her mouth, turning red. Seth and Blaise gaped at her like she had ten heads.

"That's probably why he hooks up with desperate girls who will settle for anything, even a little carrot…to satisfy their needs"

Behind the three guys was a table of snacks and drinks. She chucked the quaffle hard. Draco ducked. The quaffle made the table fly up. Snacks fell all over them. She crinkled her nose. A bowl of fruit punch fell onto Draco's head, covering him completely. Evani did a fake curtsy and left the room with Serena. Serena burst into a fit of giggles.

"That image will be burned into my head forever. I'll never forget it"

"Think they got the message?"

"Definitely"

"Hey!"

Pansy walked over with her little clique. Glaring, she moved in front of Evani.

"No one does that to my Drakie"

"Your Drakie?"

"My boyfriend"

"Oh I'm sure you're together. You're a perfect match. A dog and a pig" she replied, sarcastically.

"I thought you might have potential but if you're going to hang out with freaks like Serena and mistreat popular guys like Draco, I guess you want to be a loser. It's sad"

Evani would never let someone like Pansy push her around. She decided to teach her a lesson from the states. Girls at her old school knew never to mess with her. It would be like social suicide.

"You know, Pansy, you are such an honest person so let me return the favor. You're the freak"

Her fists clenched. "What did you say?"

"The only reason you insult Serena is out of jealousy. She's way prettier than you, smarter, nicer, and an all around better person. You are one of the biggest bitches I've ever met and sweetie, you call yourself a Queen Bee but you need to earn it. From what I see, you've got all the makings of a loser"

The other girls had gone silent. They were watching the intense sparks between Pansy and Evani. Pansy looked ready to fight her.

"No one talks to me like that"

"I'm sorry. What was that? I don't speak dog"

"I'm not a dog" she hissed.

"Really? Cause when it looks like a dog, smells like a dog, acts like a dog…logic says it's a dog"

"Who do you think you are?!"

"And for someone who claims to be so perfect, you should know a few things. That dress shows off your cow hips, the shoes don't even match, and your face looks like a clown makeup session gone horribly wrong. By the way, that nose job and boob job are terrible"

As expected, Pansy had no comeback. She was taken aback. No one at Hogwarts ever stood up to her like that. They just blindly listened to her.

"Oh and one more thing"

Evani conjured a large ice-cream sundae over her head. It fell onto Pansy, ruining her dress. Pansy let out a loud shriek.

"What an improvement"

Evani forced Serena towards the door.

"I can't believe you did that"

"She deserved it"

They left the house together. There was a limo waiting by the curb.

"That's for me. You don't have to go back with me, Evie"

"Are you sure?"

"Yea. You should get rest for tomorrow"

"Okay. I'll see you on the train"

As Serena entered the limo, Evani apparated back to Grimmauld Place. It was already one in the morning. She tiptoed into the kitchen, wanting a quick snack. A light turned on, making her jump. Sirius was leaning against the counter.

"You wore that to see your friend at the hospital?"

"He got better so we…went out for fun"

"Maybe Tonks believes it because she's sensitive but I don't. Where did you really go?"

"I was with"

"Adrian Pucey?"

Evani kept her face expressionless. "What?"

"Ginny was complaining about his annual party at dinner, saying it was just a way for the Slytherins to brag at the beginning of the year since only Slytherins are invited. I saw that you were friendly with him at the tournament. He invited you, right? I know your friend wasn't hurt, Evie"

"Fine. Yes, I went. I wanted to have fun"

"I get that. How was it?"

"You're not mad?" she asked, surprised.

"You're a teenager. I was the same once"

Unexpectedly, tears filled her eyes. Sirius looked at her, concerned. He conjured a chair for her to sit down.

Draco's…a jerk"

Sirius bent down to her. "Did he try something?"

"He was just so mean. His friend Seth made fun of his sister and Draco just laughed"

"It reminded you of you and your brother"

She nodded. "Then Serena said that he told his friends that I was 'his' like some pet"

"It's not your fault, Evie. He's just a superficial little git like his father. There's more to you than your looks. You're sweet, intelligent…do I need to go scare him? I can transfigure into my animagus and chase him up a tree"

Evani shook her head. She told him about her payback. Sirius laughed.

"Don't worry about it. You don't need to be friends with someone like that"

"That's what you meant, isn't it? When you said he had an ulterior motive. You just said it was about Harry to protect me"

"Um y—yea, that was it. I've um heard about his reputation. You should get some rest. You have to get up early for the train tomorrow"

She hugged Sirius and went up the staircase. Snapping her fingers, she changed into a tank-top and plaid cheer shorts. She went into Harry and Ron's room. Ron was already fast asleep. She laid down on Harry's bed. He turned towards her.

"Evie? How's Ryder?"

"He's fine"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm glad you're not a git"

"I try not to be…" he said, confused.

"Promise you'll never be one?"

"Is something going on?"

"No. I'm just glad you're my friend"

Evani kissed his cheek. She could feel him blushing. Resting her head against his shoulder, she fell asleep…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Next chapter is finally Hogwarts. Review! :)**


	26. Chapter 26:Fight on the Hogwarts Express

-The next day- Evani's eyes fluttered open. Beside her, Harry was tossing and turning. He clutched his scar. She shook him awake. He sat up, panting heavily.

"What's wrong?"

"Bad dream"

"About what?"

Before he could tell her, the door opened. Ron entered the room. He was holding a half-eaten waffle.

"Better hurry up. Mom's going ballistic. She says we're going to miss the train. There's some food downstairs"

"It was just a dream, Evie. Nothing important" whispered Harry.

Evani picked up her phone. It was already 10. She got out of bed and crinkled her nose. Her pajamas changed to a ruffled black mini skirt with a glittery belt, a short sleeved red v-neck, lace thigh highs, black knee-high boots, and a red bow headband. Still half-asleep, Harry struggled to put on a pair of jeans. She spun around.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look perfect like always"

"I'll get you a bagel. Take your time"

"Just put"

"I know. Toasted with strawberry jam on both sides"

He nodded and searched for a shirt in his trunk. Ron was looking between the two of them.

"What?"

"Nothing"

She went downstairs. Everyone else, but Ginny, was having a quick meal. Ginny still had to fix her hair. Last night, Fred put a joke product in her food, causing her hair to be extremely frizzy. The effects did not occur until this morning. Evani grabbed a bagel. The jar of strawberry jam was empty. George had some on his toast.

"Thanks a lot, garbage disposal. Harry was supposed to have that for his bagel"

"Just use grape"

"He doesn't like grape. It's icky"

"Are those his words?" he joked.

"Ha ha. He likes strawberry on a toasted bagel"

Evani used magic to re-fill the jar. She spread the jam on both sides. Hermione was watching her, amused.

"What? Ron had that same face"

"Did he?"

"Why are you making that face?"

"You know Harry's breakfast very well"

"Are you implying something?"

Fred made a kissy face. Sirius stifled a laugh. She rolled her eyes. They were blowing things out of proportion. Evani just knew what Harry liked from having breakfast with him for weeks at the Dursleys. She made a flame on her hand to toast the bagel.

"Really funny" she said, sarcastically.

"Do you know his favorite boxers too?" asked Sirius.

"You know, it would be really stupid to toy with a person who can open your mind like a book within a few seconds and expose your most embarrassing secrets"

"Touché"

Harry and Ron entered the dining room. He took the bagel from her.

"Thanks, Evie"

"She made sure it was just right"

"Fred, George, why don't you help get the luggage down?"

"Got it, Dad"

They got up from the table. As they walked past Harry, they batted their eyelashes like girls. He looked at them, strangely. They had a quick breakfast. Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched scream followed by a series of thuds. Mrs. Weasley began shouting at Fred and George. From what Evani could gather, they used magic to levitate all of the trunks downstairs. The trunks slammed into Ginny, causing her to roll down the staircase. Mrs. Weasley berated them for reckless use of magic and almost hurting their sister. Evani left the dining room. Ginny was brushing dust off of her jeans. Along with Mrs. Weasley's screams, Sirius's mother's portrait was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"You could have seriously injured her! What were you thinking, you"

"Filthy half-breeds! Mudbloods! Defiling the house of my fathers!"

Evani waved her hand. The curtains closed shut. It took about ten minutes to calm Mrs. Weasley down.

"You okay, Ginny?"

She nodded. "A little dizzy but fine"

"Least your hair still looks good"

"It better after I spent an hour on it"

Evani conjured a cinnamon doughnut for her. Ginny bit into it.

"Oh, I know Ginny's favorite. Maybe we're secret lovers too" she said to Hermione, dramatically.

Hermione simply smiled.

"I don't like you anymore. We're not friends"

Moody, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks were waiting by the front doors. Tonks had the appearance of an elderly woman. Moody grumbled about Sturgis being late. Harry glanced at them, slightly annoyed.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"I have to travel with a guard. It's like they think Voldemort will jump out from a trash bin and attack me"

"You never know. He might throw a half-eaten hotdog in your face" she replied, keeping a serious expression.

"Evie"

"Or an old tissue to get you sick. He'll get you when you have the flu"

Ginny giggled. He rolled his eyes at Evani's random theories.

"You can leave your luggage here. Alastor will be taking it to the train station for you. Let's get a move on or we'll miss the train" said Mrs. Weasley.

A large black dog bounded up beside Harry, panting.

"Sirius, Dumbledore said no"

In his dog form, he whimpered. Mrs. Weasley looked exasperated. She said he could come at his own risk. When Mrs. Weasley turned her back, Evani scrunched her nose at Sirius.

"Ew, look at this ugly mutt"

Harry playfully pushed her shoulder. Shadow jumped out of her bag and circled Sirius like a lion before pouncing on its prey.

"Are we taking a taxi?" she asked.

"No. I'm afraid Fudge won't give us so much as an ink bottle these days. We'll need to walk" said Mrs. Weasley.

Fred got down on one knee. "You can travel on my back, my fair lady" he said, dramatically.

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes. Evani curtsied.

"Thank you, good sir"

She jumped onto his left the house, going towards the train station. Fred carried her the entire way. To lighten the mood, Sirius kept chasing butterflies or stray cats. Harry laughed as he chased his tail. Shadow would one-up Sirius by performing some of his own tricks. After 20 minutes, they finally reached the station. It was packed with people. Evani did not understand how a train brought them to the wizarding world. What if a regular person snuck on board accidentally? They stopped at one of the walls. Two signs hung on either side with the numbers nine and ten.

"So where's the train?"

"Right through that wall" replied George.

She giggled. "Funny"

"Not a joke"

"We'll go together. Ready?" said Fred.

Fred started running extremely fast. She could hear Mrs. Weasley's yells. As they neared the wall, Evani buried her face in his shoulder. She felt a cool sensation. Glancing up, her eyes widened. She got off of Fred's back. The entire platform was packed. She saw kids holding brooms and carrying owls in cages. In front of them was a large scarlet train with '_Hogwarts Express_' emblazoned in gold letters on the front. A second later, everyone else got onto the platform. Moody limped through the archway with a trolley containing their luggage. Evani grabbed her suitcase. Shadow jumped into her arms. She got distracted by familiar long black hair. Happily, Evani walked off.

"Hey"

Serena turned around, smiling. "Hey. I'm glad I found you. You've already brightened my morning"

"Bad start?"

"Well when your mom fawns all over your brother leaving, it's nauseating"

She noticed Shadow. "Is that yours?"

"This is Shadow"

"He's so cute"

Shadow rubbed his head against her hand as she pet him. "And friendly"

"Serena"

A woman in her early 40s with similar features to Serena rushed over. Serena rolled her eyes. She smiled fakely at the woman. For some reason, Shadow let out a low growl. Evani wondered why he reacted that way.

"What is it, mother?"

"I don't like when you run off"

"You were busy doting over your favorite child"

"Oh hush. You know I love you both equally. Who's this?"

Mrs. Burke was looking at Evani, curiously.

"No one"

"Serena, manners"

Serena sighed. It was clear that Serena rarely introduced her friends to her parents.

"This is Evani Rybek. She's a new transfer. We met at Adrian's party. Evie, this is my mom"

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Burke"

"So polite. I'm glad Serena's finally made a friend. She has trouble with that"

"Mom" hissed Serena.

"Well you never bring anyone over"

"Why would I put them through that torture? We need to go"

"Wait for your brother"

"He's busy trying to find his latest hook-up to throw away after the train ride. Spare me"

Serena grabbed Evani's arm, pulling her towards the train. A conductor placed their luggage into a compartment. They got onto the train. There were multiple doors on either side of the corridor, which was packed with kids meeting up with their friends.

"She's not that bad"

"She's embarrassing"

"I think that's a requirement to be a mom"

As they walked along the corridor, Evani heard wolf-whistles and cat-calls. She was used to the attention. Some guys had their faces pressed up against the windows of the compartment. She just smiled sweetly. Passing through the corridor was a little harder. A few guys attempted to block her path, wanting to flirt.

"She's definitely a veela"

"She must be new"

"Veela don't even look that good"

"Serena, what's a veela?" she whispered.

"They're like magically beautiful people. A full veela can seduce any guy that sees them. They turn into these creepy birds when they're angry"

"Well I never turned into a bird"

"I figured when you didn't sprout wings at Adrian's party during your fight with Draco"

All of the compartments appeared to be full. The ones with just guys offered to make room for only Evani. She did not want to leave Serena behind. In one of the last compartments, she saw Harry and Ginny.

"Here. We can sit with my friends"

She opened the door. Closest to the door was a guy, Harry's age, with a round face and neat dark brown hair. He held a toad in his hand. Across from Harry was a girl with waist-length, straggly dirty blonde hair, large grey eyes, and an overall bizarre appearance. Her necklace consisted of bottle caps. The magazine in her hand called The Quibbler was upside down.

"Evie, here you are. We thought you got lost" said Harry, relieved.

"Nope. Just wandered off"

"This is Neville and Luna. Neville's in my year and in Gryffindor. Luna's the same year as Ginny in Ravenclaw"

"I'm Evani. It's nice to meet you" she said, smiling.

Neville blushed bright red, giving a small wave. She could tell that he was shy. Luna stared at her then returned to her magazine. Evani looked at Ginny for an explanation.

"Just go with it" she mouthed.

Seeing Serena, she waved. "Hey Serena"

Serena smiled. "Hey"

"Got away from Seth finally?"

"Thanks to Evie"

"How did you two meet?"

"At Adr"

"Diagon Alley"

Playing along, Serena nodded. Evani never mentioned Adrian's party to anyone else. Only Sirius knew that she lied about Ryder's accident. Harry would freak out about her attending that party, considering Adrian was a Slytherin.

"Yea. I was getting new robes and we met at Madam Malkin's"

Evani sat next to Harry while Serena sat between Luna and Ginny. The train began to move, entering the countryside.

"Guess what I got for my birthday" said Neville.

"Another remembrall?" asked Harry.

"No. I could use a new one though"

From his bag, he took out a small grey cactus covered in boils. The boils seemed to pulsate. She never saw a plant like that before.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia. My Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. They're really rare"

"Does it um do anything?"

"Yea, loads. It's got this neat defense mechanism. Here, hold Trevor"

Neville handed his toad to Harry. With his wand, he prodded the cactus. Dark green liquid squirted from the boils. Evani quickly put up a shield to block it. The liquid rebounded, hitting the door. Everyone, except her, got covered in the sticky substance.

"Gross" whispered Serena.

Neville blushed. "Sorry. I never tried it before. Stinksap's not poisonous so don't worry"

"Here"

While they tried to clean it off, Evani quickly waved her wand. The sap vanished from the compartment.

"Thanks, Evie" said Ginny.

For an hour, they just talked. Neville tended to be quiet. Serena opened up around Ginny and Harry. Evani was glad that they were some of the kids who treated her nicely. Luna just kept reading her magazine. Harry got food for the entire compartment from a food trolley. He told her about all the types of candy. She declined to try any Bertie Bott's beans. As she opened a cauldron cake, a miniature circular-shaped chocolate cake with caramel filling, Hermione and Ron entered the compartment. Ron looked exhausted, sitting between Harry and Evani. He grabbed a chocolate frog, biting its head off.

"Where were you two?"

"Prefect meeting. It was even more boring than I imagined"

Hermione rolled her eyes before turning to Evani. "Where did you run off to?"

"Relax, Mother. I was talking to Serena. Next time, I'll leave you a note"

There was barely any room in the compartment. Evani sat on Harry's lap, allowing Hermione to take her spot.

"If you try to take advantage of me when we go through tunnels, there will be consequences"

"That'll be hard" he joked with a smile.

"I know I'm insanely irresistible but you need self-control"

"I'll try my best"

"But if you give me enough cauldron cakes, I'll be on a sugar high and too out of it to notice if you go for second base"

Serena and Ginny giggled.

"Evie!" said Hermione.

She winked at Harry, playfully. He shook his head.

"How did the meeting go?"

"There are two prefects for each house, boy and girl"

Ron had his eyes closed. "Guess who the Slytherin prefect is"

"Malfoy"

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson. How she got to be prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll" said Hermione.

Evani stifled a laugh. As Hermione told him the other prefects, Evani conjured a marker. She drew lightly on Ron's face. Ginny and Serena were covering their mouths, turning red.

"Shh" she whispered.

"Evie, what are you doing?" said Hermione, noticing her artwork.

Ron's eyes opened. She stashed the marker in her purse. On his face, he had drawings of hearts, a unicorn, and 'I love Evie' among other phrases. Evani pretended to be looking at her nails.

"What happened?"

"She drew on your face" said Harry.

"Way to narc on me, Potter"

Serena handed him a compact mirror. His eyes widened. He turned to Evani.

"Evie!"

"I can't help it. It's a reflex"

Hermione removed most of it with a charm. The 'Property of Evie' phrase remained.

"You missed one"

"It's permanent" said Evani, ominously.

"What?"

"You are now my slave boy, Ronald Weasley"

He wiped his cheek. It did nothing. She took out the marker again.

"Let me write more"

"No"

"You're very disobedient. Your punishment, slave, is to kiss Pansy Parkinson's butt"

He looked horrified.

"But she'd probably take that as a mating sign" she added.

Everyone but Hermione and Luna burst into a fit of laughter. Hermione gave her a patronizing look. Ron kept trying to rub off the writing.

"Come on, that was funny"

"So what do you have to do?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Patrol the corridors and give out punishments if people misbehave. I can't wait to get the Slytherins"

"Ron, you can't abuse your position" replied Hermione.

"Like Malfoy won't?" he asked, sarcastically.

"So you'll stoop to his level?"

"I'll get his mates before he gets mine. I'm going to make Zabini do lines"

Ron made a mocking face, pretending to write. "I must not be a perverted git"

The entire compartment burst into another fit of laughter. Luna was cackling hysterically. Her magazine fell from her lap.

"That was funny!"

Ron looked at her, weirdly. "You taking the mickey?"

Harry picked up the magazine. One of the titles on the cover read 'Sirius Black: Villain or Victim?'.

"Anything good in there?" asked Ron.

"Of course not. The Quibbler's rubbish. Everyone knows that" said Hermione, scathingly.

Luna's dreamy expression was wiped from her face. "My father's the editor"

Hermione blushed, embarrassed. Luna snatched the magazine back.

"I'll have that back, thanks"

She turned it upside down, reading it again.

"Nice one" whispered Ron.

Evani shoved him to the floor.

"Hey!"

She straddled him, taking out the marker. "You need obedience, slave"

They wrestled on the floor. The two of them went back and forth on who ended up on top. After a few minutes, she pinned him to the floor.

"Pinned ya" she teased.

"You're not doing anything more to my face"

"Are you going to stop me?"

"I'm a prefect"

"I'm a prefect" she said, mockingly.

Harry stifled a laugh.

"Evie, get off"

"I like my boys submissive. Do as you're told, slave"

Ron flipped her over. He grabbed the marker. Being so much taller, he was able to hold her down.

"I'll do it to you"

"Not my face. Not my beautiful face. Please don't"

He put the marker close to her face.

"Ron, get that away from me or you'll be known as the Hogwarts Express manwhore. Only trashy people do it on trains"

"What are you"

She let out fake moans. "Oh yea, Ron! Give it to me! You're so huge!"

"Evie!" said Hermione, appalled.

Ron was blushing. His cheeks turned redder than his hair. He mouthed, wordlessly. The marker fell to the floor. He tried to cover her mouth. She kept avoiding his hands, yelling louder.

"Yea, make me scream! Oh, Ron!"

"Evie, stop it" he squeaked.

Serena and Ginny giggled.

"You're such an animal! Ron, you're like a lion!"

Hermione put her head in her hands. Evani imitated his voice.

"Yea, I'm a lion. Roar"

"Roar?" he asked.

"Hey, I don't question how you satisfy the ladies. Oh, Ron! Yea, harder, harder! Don't stop, you stud! You like that? Yea, you like that?"

Suddenly, the door opened. Draco, Seth, and Blaise were standing in the doorway. Harry glared at them. The tension in the compartment skyrocketed. Draco smirked at him.

"What?" he said, aggressively.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you detention"

From her position on the floor, they would not be able to see her. She kept quiet. Only Serena knew about Draco and Evani knowing each other. The others had no idea about the training center sessions. As far as they knew, she never met him. She did not want to talk about them being friends and the fight at Adrian's party.

"I, unlike you, am a prefect so I, unlike you, can give out punishments"

"Yea well you, unlike me, are a git so get out"

"How does it feel to be second-best to Weasley, Potter?"

Ron's fists clenched.

"Shut up, Malfoy" said Hermione.

"I guess I touched a nerve. Better watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you get out of line. I'm surprised they're letting you walk around free. There's going to be a cell in Azkaban with your name on it soon"

Harry was about to lunge at them. Hermione kept him seated.

"See? Complete nutter" he told Blaise and Seth who sniggered.

Draco noticed Evani beneath Ron. There was a mixed expression in his eyes of anger and confusion.

"What are you doing with this filth?"

Harry looked at her. Her hope to keep their previous friendship a secret was overcome by her annoyance at him for calling her friends trash.

"One, they're my friends. Two, what I do is none of your business. Three, just get out because no one wants you here"

There was a pull at her navel. It forced her out of the compartment. He put his wand back into his pocket. Harry stood up, angrily.

"Get your hands off her, Malfoy"

"Like she wants to be around you, Scarhead"

He tried to pull Evani back. It was like a game of tug of war. Harry and Draco got into a intense argument. Hermione repeatedly told them to stop.

"You obviously put her under a spell if she's hanging out with you, Potter"

"She's not a ditz like the rest of your girls. Evie's our friend"

"Don't make me laugh. She has standards"

"Guys, stop it" said Serena.

"Hey!"

A guy around 17 with wavy caramel brown hair, warm hazel eyes, tan skin, and an extremely muscular build walked over. He was wearing a leather jacket with a dark blue v-neck and dark jeans.

"What's going on here?"

"None of your business, Hale. Shove off" said Draco.

"Let her go, both of you"

"You can't boss me around"

"I'm Head Boy, Malfoy. I can take away your little prefect badge before you can cry for daddy"

"I don't take orders from you"

"I said let her go. I'm sure McGonagall would love to handle this herself"

Draco and Harry let go of Evani's arms. She rubbed her shoulder. They continued glaring daggers at each other. Harry turned to the older guy.

"Lukas, she was in our compartment. Malfoy was the one who started it"

"He hexed her. She wouldn't be near them if"

The two of them started arguing again. Ron jumped to Harry's defense, getting in Blaise and Seth's faces.

"Enough! Is this the kind of impression you want to give to new Hogwarts students? She's coming with me"

"What?!"

"If you have a problem, too bad"

Quietly, Evani followed Lukas down the corridor…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I would really appreciate feedback just so I know how the story is going. **


	27. Chapter 27: The Sorting

Quietly, Evani followed Lukas down the corridor. The train came to a sudden halt. He helped her off of the platform. Other kids began to get off the train.

"Thanks for helping before. If you didn't come, my arms would've been ripped off"

Lukas chuckled. "Looked like it. Malfoy can be a bit annoying. I'm sorry if he hurt you"

"He didn't"

"I'm Lukas Hale, by the way"

"Evani Rybek"

"I know. Dumbledore mentioned you were a new transfer. He said if you didn't get called Evie, you'd scratch my eyes out"

She giggled. He smiled at her.

"Your laugh is really pretty"

She looked up at him. "I—I mean…we should get to the carriages. Dumbledore wanted me to help you out"

He brought her over to a series of carriages. There were strange black skeletal horses with white eyes and black, leathery wings. The horses had a gothic beauty to them. She pet one of them on the nose. Before she could ask Lukas about them, he opened the carriage door. She got inside. He sat across from her. The carriage started moving along the path.

"What house are you?"

"Ravenclaw"

"So you're really smart?"

"And practically genius compared to Slytherins" he joked, making her giggle.

"Sorry. You must be annoyed with these questions"

"I don't mind. Dumbledore said that you'd never been to a wizarding school before. Is that true?"

Evani nodded.

"So how did you...keep it hidden from muggles?"

"I just always had good control"

"I know what you're going through, Evie. I'm muggleborn too"

Evani did not expect to meet many kids from non-magic families. The way that Draco listened to Lukas made it seem like he came from a pureblood family too. She was glad to know someone who, like her, came from a muggle background.

"How did your family take it?"

"My mom thinks it's really great. She likes learning about magic. My stepdad…thinks it's foolish. He's not exactly a creative or imaginative person. It's all about facts and figures to him. I can't even bring it up if he's home"

Throughout the carriage ride, Lukas told her about his life in London. His stepfather worked as a bank manager while his mother stayed home. He had two younger siblings, a brother and sister. His sister also attended Hogwarts, being a 2nd year Hufflepuff. Lukas was very athletic. Besides playing chaser and being captain on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, he played sports back in the muggle world like soccer and baseball. He seemed very outgoing and adventurous. Evani told him about her life in Texas.

"I really like the arts. I get it from my dad, mostly. At parties, we'll always play the piano and sing for guests. My friends and I even made a site called"

"MIRAGE"

She looked at him, surprised. He blushed lightly.

"Yea. How did you"

"I didn't want to be awkward. I've seen it"

"You have?"

"Yea. I watch it all the time after classes and at home. You guys are incredible, especially you"

MIRAGE was a website created by Evani and her friends when they were eight years old. The name came from the first letter of their names: Melody, Isabel, Ryder, Aryn, Garrett, and Evani. On the site, they would upload covers of songs and school play productions. They also added content like original songs, TV shows, and movies. Over the years, the site had become extremely popular. Lukas told her that everything on the site was incredible. The carriage stopped.

"That one horror movie you did? It was scarier than anything I've ever seen. You were amazing in it, Evie" he said as they got out.

It was hard not to blush from his compliments. She saw an enormous castle up ahead. It had a medieval style with many towers. Lights illuminated from the inside, giving it this beautiful glow. They entered the castle together. McGonagall walked towards them.

"Thank you, Mister Hale. You may go join your classmates"

"Good luck" he whispered.

Lukas went through a pair of large oak doors. McGonagall brought her over to a group of 11 year olds, the new 1st years.

"Wait, why am I with them?"

"To be sorted, dear"

"But I'm not a 1st year"

"All new students are sorted together. Stand with them, please"

The younger kids were staring at her. She smiled kindly. McGonagall addressed the entire group with a long, boring speech about the sorting. Harry had told her all about the four houses at Hogwarts. Apparently, some hat would look into her mind to decide her house. Evani was unsure of where she would go. She knew Slytherin could not be possible since it only accepted purebloods. McGonagall disappeared behind the doors. One of the boys turned to her.

"You're Evie, right?" he asked, excitedly.

"What?"

"The Wizard Battle girl. You won the tournament"

"Oh. Yea, I did"

All of the kids looked in awe of her. They started to talk animatedly about the tournament.

"You fought those dragons like it was nothing" exclaimed the small blonde girl beside her.

"How did you learn to do that?"

The kids kept asking her questions. It was like being a miniature celebrity.

"Show us how you beat up Priscilla again" said Adam, one of the more talkative kids.

"Right here?"

"Yea! How you knocked her back and then"

McGonagall interrupted the conversation, tapping Adam's shoulder. He blushed. The oak doors opened. Inside was an large hall with four long tables side by side. Candles floated in mid-air. She glanced up at the ceiling. It mimicked the night sky. Each house sat at a different table. Ginny waved at her from beside Hermione. Lukas was sitting with a few other guys his age. At a third table, Seth, Blaise, and two large muscular guys surrounded Draco. Pansy and her clique were next to them, with Pansy trying to get Draco's attention. Evani found it hard to blend in with the 1st years. Though she was on the short side, her appearance made her stick out. Guys stared at her like some shiny new toy. Some gaped at her as though they thought she could not be real. At the front of the Hall was another long table filled with adults, presumably teachers. Dumbledore sat in the center. His eyes twinkled, looking at her. McGonagall placed a dirty, tattered hat on a stool. Evani scrunched her nose in disgust. From a long scroll of paper, she read names in alphabetical order. A few kids looked nervous while others eagerly sat on the stool. At times, the sorting hat took a few minutes to decide.

"Rybek, Evani"

Reluctantly, she walked towards the stool. She sat down and felt the hat rest on her head.

"Hmm. I've been waiting to meet you, young lady" she heard in her head.

Evani wondered if everyone could hear the hat talking.

"No worries…this conversation is between us. Hmm, you possess qualities of all four houses. Slytherin is a near-perfect fit"

"I can't be in Slytherin. I'm muggleborn" she mentally told the hat.

"That's quite alright. There have been non-purebloods in the house. Some have turned into the most oustanding wizards. Resourceful, ambitious, cunning, and determined…you would make a great Slytherin, my dear"

"No, that's just called being a Rybek. I don't want Slytherin"

"Are you sure? There's such great power lurking inside you. Slytherin could lead you on the path to greatness. Imagine what they could teach you"

"I'm not like them"

"You are far too pure for them but there is a darkness to you. It only comes out when you think it's justified, to defend friends and family. The line between light and dark is a fine one. You are very courageous, daring, adventurous, and reckless. I think it'll be…Gryffindor!"

Everyone at the Gryffindor table cheered. At the other three tables, guys looked dejected and annoyed. Happily, she sat beside Harry. He hugged her.

"Knew you'd be in Gryffindor"

"That sorting took a long time, Evie. It was going on five minutes" said Fred.

"It was having a tough time deciding"

"Least we know you definitely wouldn't be a Slytherin"

She kept her conversation with the hat to herself. What did it mean that she had darkness inside her? Evani knew she possessed a fiery temper but she was nowhere near as rude as the Slytherins. She felt someone's eyes on her. Ignoring it, she watched the rest of the ceremony. McGonagall took the stool and sorting hat away. Dumbledore stood up.

"To our newcomers, welcome. To our old hands, welcome back. There is a time for speechmaking but this is not it. Tuck in"

An enormous array of foods, ranging from roast beef to vegetables to desserts, appeared on all four tables. Everyone began piling food onto their plates. As she ate, people from Gryffindor kept coming over to introduce themselves. She met the entire house within ten minutes. Ron was shoving food into his mouth. Hermione looked revolted by his eating habits.

"Ron, eat like a human being, not an animal"

"I'm hungry" he responded, his mouth full.

"He's a guy. They have garbage trucks for mouths" explained Evani.

"See? Evie gets it"

After the feast, Dumbledore stood up again. He addressed everyone about general rules in the castle.

"We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking charge of Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave"

Harry looked anxious. Over the summer, he mentioned that Hagrid had gone on a mission for Dumbledore. She wondered what he could be doing. No one else seemed to care. A lot of kids appeared to be relieved with his absence.

"We also wish to welcome our new DADA teacher, Dolores Umbridge"

On the far right side of the table, Evani saw the toad-faced woman from Harry's trial. She was surprised that Dumbledore appointed her as a teacher. Why would he put a Ministry official in the position when the Ministry spent months slandering him?

"She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge" Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.

"Nice outfit" sniggered Ron.

"Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will be held on"

"Hem, hem"

Umbridge had interrupted his speech. Evani found it incredibly impolite. Dumbledore was the one in charge, not her. McGonagall's lips became almost invisible from being so tightly pressed together. Umbridge stood up from her seat. Dumbledore was silent. She moved to the front of the staff table.

"Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome…and how lovely to see your bright faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends"

Her tone sounded like she was speaking to toddlers.

"That's likely" muttered Fred and George.

"I'd sooner become friends with a coyote while I'm covered in cow blood" said Evani.

Guys sniggered. Hermione smacked her shoulder lightly. For a second, Evani thought Umbridge looked at her.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young wizards and witches to be of vital importance. Though each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practices that ought to be prohibited"

She returned to her seat. Dumbledore and the staff clapped.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge. That was most illuminating"

"Sounded like a load of waffle to me" said Ron, bored.

"There was stuff hidden in that waffle" said Hermione.

"Like what?"

"It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts"

"It makes sense. Even at Harry's trial, Fudge kept bringing up stuff that Harry did at school and when Dumbledore countered that he had no power at Hogwarts, Fudge looked angry" said Evani.

Dumbledore dismissed them from the Hall. Ron and Hermione gathered the 1st years. Evani giggled when he called them midgets. Hermione shot him a reproachful look. It was clear who would take the position more seriously. The first years followed her in a straight line.

"Aw, she's like a mother duck" remarked Evani, making Harry laugh.

"I think I can manage getting you to the common room"

"I am entrusting you with my life, Mr. Potter"

"I'm sorry about before"

"What?"

"With Malfoy. The way he grabbed you…"

"Forget it"

"How did he know you?"

Before she could think of a good lie, she heard someone call her name. Lukas walked over. He saved her from an awkward conversation.

"Dumbledore asked me to give you a tour of the school. Better to do it now before classes start"

"I can do it"

"It's my job as Head Boy" he told Harry.

She hugged Harry. "I'll meet you in the common room"

He nodded and followed other Gryffindors out of the Hall. For a second, she thought Lukas looked jealous.

"Lukas?"

"Ready for the tour?"

He showed her the entire school. One thing to remember was the moving staircases. They tended to change direction randomly. After the tour, he brought her up to the seventh floor. He stopped at a portrait of a Victorian style woman.

"This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room"

"Password?" asked the woman in a regal voice.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia"

The portrait swung open, revealing a doorway.

"When you take the stairs, go to the right for the girls' dorms. Dumbledore said that you'll be staying with the 4th years even though you're in 5th year lessons"

"Thanks a lot, Lukas. You've been really helpful"

"Oh it's" She kissed his cheek.

"I—if you need help, just come find me"

"I'll remember that"

Evani stepped into the doorway and waved at him. He stumbled a bit on the stairs as he waved back. She suppressed a giggle. Walking through the doorway, she could hear angry voices. Harry and Seamus were arguing. She felt a large amount of tension in the room.

"Your mom believes the Daily Prophet?"

"Well no one was there the night Cedric died"

Evani expected this to happen. Despite seeing Harry with Cedric's dead body after the Triwizard tournament, no one really knew what occurred. They spent all summer reading the Ministry's warped version of events. It caused them to see Harry as a deranged attention seeker. The Ministry wanted this to happen. Harry looked frustrated.

"I guess you should read the Prophet then like your stupid mother"

Seamus's fists clenched. "Don't talk about my mother like that!"

"I'll have a go at anyone that calls me a liar!"

Before it led to a fist fight, Evani went over to them. She tried to calm Harry down.

"Harry, just relax. It's not worth it" she whispered.

He was still angry. She rounded on Seamus, not liking how he picked on Harry.

"What's your problem?"

"He's mad is what's going on. You believe everything he says about you know who?"

"Yea, I do. So if you have a problem with Harry, you have one with me. Word of advice? I don't need magic to turn you into a sniveling little girl"

Seamus remained silent. Despite her size, she could tear anyone, even a man, down with one look. He sat in one of the arm chairs. Harry went up the staircase. She followed after him. He was sitting on his bed. Ron came up behind her.

"Let me talk to him alone"

"You sure?"

"Yea. Don't worry"

She shut the door. Harry did not even look up. He stared at the floor, swinging his feet.

"Thanks for defending me. I just want to be alone"

"Too bad"

"Evie"

She sat beside him. "I want to make sure you're okay. Seamus is just being silly"

"He won't be the only one. Everyone thinks I'm a nutter"

"That's not true. Let's just stay up here"

He nodded and laid down on the bed. She rested against his pillow.

"It'll get better. They'll believe you"

"When?"

"It takes time"

Her fingers ran through his hair. He sighed, beginning to calm down.

"Is it sad that I wish the Order never came for me at the Dursleys that night?"

She looked down at him. "Why?"

"Cause then we would be at your house where no one would care that I'm Harry Potter. I wouldn't have to hear people say I'm crazy"

"You don't have to go through this alone, Harry. You have Ron and Hermione…and I'll be there for you"

They spent the next few hours talking about random things like their nights at the Dursleys...

* * *

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	28. Chapter 28: New to Hogwarts

-The next day- Evani was having a strange dream.

~_She found herself deep within the woods, wearing a floral printed dress with a red ribbon in her hair. As she walked around, she got this ominous feeling. One of the trees moved, knocking her over with its branch. She hit the ground. Rubbing her head, she stood up. _

_"Hello? Is anyone there?" _

_Caleb stepped out from behind the trees. She smiled. _

_"Caleb" _

_His face was blank. Something seemed different about him. His eyes were vacant and emotionless. _

_"Where are we? How did we get here?" _

_He backhanded her, causing her to fall against a large boulder. Waving his wand, he made her body freeze up. She could barely move._

_ "Caleb?" _

_His wand pointed at her throat. "You have to die" _

_"You—you said you'd protect me"_

_ Bass appeared behind him, smirking. "He works for me, Evani. He belongs to me. I control him" _

_"Please don't hurt me. I didn't do anything to you" _

_"You have. If I can't have your power, no one will" _

_Caleb's wand glowed bright green. It cut her neck. She winced. _

_"There's only one guarantee to ensure your death. Go ahead, Caleb" said Bass. _

_Caleb's wand pierced her chest. She cried out in pain~_

"Evie, Evie"

Breathing heavily, she sat up. Harry was looking at her, concerned. He rubbed her back.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare"

"What happened?"

"You were turning in your sleep and started clutching your chest"

"I—it felt real" "Dreams can do that sometimes. What was it about? Bass?"

She nodded, not wanting to go into details. The events in the dream reminded her of something. She pushed it out of her head as mere coincidence. Harry hugged her, consolingly.

"He won't hurt you. You're safe here. I promise"

"I know. I'm going to get dressed"

She went to the girls' side of the dormitories. Each room had a number on it, corresponding to a school year. She stopped at a door with the number 4. Her name was listed along with Ginny, Clare Colt, Emily West, and Spencer Briggs. Ginny mentioned Emily and Spencer before. She called them the harpies of Gryffindor. A lot of kids thought they should be in Slytherin with their snooty behavior. Evani opened the door, seeing that Ginny had just woken up. Shadow was curled up on the bed next to hers.

"Evie, here you are"

"Sorry. I stayed with Harry. I didn't realize I fell asleep"

Ginny smiled. "Sure you didn't. Clare already left. She tends to be really shy and quiet. We've roomed for 4 years now and I barely get a hello out of her. She's always by herself. Briggs and West are in the shower. They hog it for hours, just so you know"

"Then let's get them out"

Evani crinkled her nose. Suddenly, she heard loud shrieks. Two girls, her age, rushed out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but towels. Ginny stifled a laugh.

"What did you do, Weasley?!" yelled the dirty-blonde.

"Nothing, West" she replied, innocently.

"You're such a liar. You messed with the water! It was ice cold!"

"Weird. I heard that can happen randomly"

They looked over at Evani. "Who are you?" asked Spencer, rudely.

"This is Evie"

"You're that new American girl"

"Yea" said Evani, smiling.

"The one trying to steal Draco Malfoy from Pansy?"

Ginny shook her head, grabbing her shoes from under her bed. Evani looked at them, weirdly. Where did they get that ridiculous idea?

"I'm not trying to steal him. She can have him if she wants"

"I'm sure. My dad said all Americans are trashy" said Emily.

"Shut up, West!" said Ginny.

She wanted to curse them out. Dumbledore's words about keeping her mouth shut kept popping up in her head. It would be more difficult if she had to deal with these kind of girls every day. Pansy's minions would not push her around. Struggling to stay calm, Evani just rolled her eyes.

"Get that dirty thing out of here"

Emily was pointing at Shadow.

"He's not dirty. He's adorable"

"He's not coming near Princess"

"Princess?"

A white Persian kitten jumped onto one of the beds. The pink jeweled collar around her neck had 'Princess' in diamonds.

"So why can you have your cat?"

"Princess is a purebred. I don't even know what that thing is"

Shadow growled at Emily and Spencer. Scared, they ran out of the room. Ginny shut the door, locking it.

"Good one, Shadow"

He yipped and fell asleep. The two girls banged on the door.

"Let us in! Damn it, Weasley!"

"Can't hear you, Briggs!"

"I'll meet you for breakfast, Ginny"

"You sure?"

"Yea. Here, let me help you avoid them"

Evani tapped the floor with her foot. A hole formed, showing a small staircase. Ginny used it to get to the common room. Waiting a few minutes, Evani put on a cardigan and snuck over to the library. She looked through the various sections. After some searching, she found the right book. It was the one on fairytales by Grimm. She checked it out with the librarian and went into the nearby girl's bathroom. Evani snapped her fingers. Her tote bag and the uniform appeared on the counter. She looked at it, horrified. The uniform consisted of a white button-down shirt, knee-length black skirt, a black cardigan with red and gold lining on the ends and the Gryffindor emblem, black tights, a red and gold tie, black mary jane shoes, and a black robe with red lining and a Gryffindor badge. She crinkled her nose. The uniform replaced her clothes. She scrunched her nose in disgust. Getting an idea, she conjured a Hogwarts rule book. She flipped through it. Stopping at a page, she found a solution. She snapped her fingers, making the uniform alter itself. The skirt shortened to mid-thigh length and underneath the shirt was a black lace corset top. She unbuttoned the first three buttons of the shirt. The black tights turned into lace thigh highs. She changed the boring shoes into stylish knee-high black boots and kept the cardigan fully unbuttoned. After loosening the tie and tying a red ribbon in her hair, she observed herself in the mirror.

"Perfect. That's Evie Rybek style"

Stashing the books and robes in her bag, she went into the Great Hall. Kids stared at her as she passed. They whispered about her customized uniform. She sat beside Ginny, who kept scribbling out words on a piece of paper. Ron, as usual, stuffed his face. Harry and Hermione were across from her.

"Morning, E"

Seeing her, Ron dropped the waffle in his hand. Harry's eyes widened.

"What are you wearing?" asked Hermione, disapprovingly.

"The uniform"

Ginny glanced up. She gasped.

"Can you do that for me too?"

"Yea. Just let me"

"Evie, that is not the uniform" interjected Hermione.

"I gave it a little fashion update"

"You'll get a detention"

As they ate, McGonagall moved along the table, handing out class schedules. Hermione kept glancing between Evani and McGonagall, dreading the impending argument. She gave Evani a pleading look. Evani ignored her, pouring a glass of orange juice. Ginny took her schedule.

"And Miss Rybek"

McGonagall looked her over. Her nostrils flared slightly.

"Miss Rybek, where is your uniform?"

"I'm wearing it"

"This is not the proper attire"

"Professor, I can return Evie's uniform to the right state" suggested Hermione.

"There's nothing wrong with it"

"Evie" she hissed.

Evani took the rule book from her bag. She opened it to the section on dress code.

"Section 1, paragraph 2. All witches who attend Hogwarts are required to wear a white button down shirt, black skirt, black tights, black dress shoes, a house tie, and a covering with their house colors that has their house emblem on it. I am within those guidelines"

McGonagall grabbed the book from her. Her eyes scanned the same page multiple times. Kids watched, waiting for Evani to be reprimanded or McGonagall to be proven wrong. McGonagall looked stumped.

"Yes, well…this…"

Evani smiled. "I'm within dress code"

"I will let this slide…for now"

She handed her a schedule. McGonagall continued along the table.

"Bloody hell, Evie. You beat her" said Ron, impressed.

"I knew I'd win"

He groaned, looking at the schedule.

"Look at today. History, double Potions, Divinations, and DADA. I wish Fred and George would finish those skiving snackboxes already"

"Do mine ears deceive me?"

Fred and George walked over to the table.

"Surely ickle prefect Ronnie doesn't want to miss lessons" said Fred, taking his toast.

"Look at this. Worst Monday ever"

"Fair point, little brother. You can have some nosebleed nougat for cheap"

"Why is it cheap?"

"Cause we haven't figured out the antidote yet to stop you from bleeding to death"

"Cheers. I'll take the lessons"

Hermione told them that they could not advertise their products in the common room. Ron avoided any eye contact. He was not going to get his brothers in trouble. Hermione glared at him, waiting for him to back her up. He pretended to be interested in his eggs. Fred and George laughed heartily.

"You'll be begging for them soon, Hermione. 5th year is OWL year. It's torture. Half of our year had breakdowns before the exams even started. They'll have your noses in books for weeks until the day of the exam. It's a nightmare"

"Well we're going to see if we can sell some extendable ears before Herbology"

Fred and George winked at Evani and left the Hall. As breakfast ended, they all got up.

"Evie, I got your bag"

Harry reached for her bag. A large group of guys rushed over, shoving him into the table.

"Evie, let me take it for you" said Dean.

"No, I can" said another guy, wearing a Ravenclaw uniform.

They argued with each other.

"Guys, relax. There's no need to fight. You can take turns. It's only fair that Dean takes it. He was the first to offer"

Dean smiled, placing her bag on his shoulder. They followed her to the history classroom. While she waited outside the classroom, they kept flirting and complimenting her. She thrived on the attention. It was like being back at her old school.

"You guys are just so sweet"

"You're the prettiest girl here" said Ernie.

"You're going to make me blush"

They hung onto her every word. It took less than a few minutes to wrap them around her finger. The door to the classroom opened.

"Where did you want to sit, Evie?"

She poked Dean's nose. He blushed.

"I'll let you decide"

"Y—you should sit in the back. Binns is boring and it's harder to hear him in the back so it's not as bad" "Then the back it is"

She pecked his cheek. "Thanks for carrying my bag"

"I'd do it again"

"You can't do it twice" claimed Anthony.

The guys started to argue again. As she sat down, she took out her compact mirror. She re-applied her strawberry lip gloss. Someone sat beside her. To her frustration, it was Draco. She ignored him, crossing her legs.

"The silent treatment? Really?"

Evani focused determinedly on the wall. She felt his fingers slide under the top of her tights.

"Don't be a tease"

He snapped the tights against her thigh. It made her shiver. She turned to him and touched his cheek. His eyes glazed over.

"What do you want, Draco?"

"You"

"Do you want me to be happy?"

He smiled. "Yes"

"Then get away from me"

Draco nodded, dazed. He got up from the table, moving to a different one in the middle. Once Hermione took the seat, Evani reversed the charm. Draco glanced around, confused.

"Was Malfoy bothering you?"

"Nope. I set him straight"

"How did you two meet before the train?"

"Diagon Alley. He was getting his school supplies and we bumped into eachother at the bookstore" she lied.

"Be careful around him"

"Serena told me everything already. I'm smarter than that. I'm not going to fall for his lines"

As everyone settled in the classroom, an elderly ghost floated through the blackboard.

"The teacher's a ghost…" Hermione nodded.

"That's different"

Like Dean said, Binns was incredibly boring. He had this monotonous tone to his voice. Within a few seconds, everyone either spaced out or fell asleep. Ron and Harry were playing hangman on a piece of paper. Only Evani and Hermione paid attention. For an hour and a half, they listened to his lecture on giant wars. Hermione kept shooting dirty looks at Ron and Harry.

"Honestly, those two…they'll never pass their OWLs"

"I doubt anyone will, unless Binns actually wanted us to fall asleep and that's how we pass"

"You're the only other person I've ever seen pay attention to Binns besides me"

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Ernie grabbed her bag for her.

"I've got your bag, Evie"

"Thanks, Ernie. Ten steps behind"

She walked with Hermione, Ron, and Harry. The guys followed a bit behind. Ron glanced at them.

"Bloody hell, Evie. I'm surprised one of them hasn't asked to carry you to class"

"They're just being nice"

"Hermione, can we copy your notes later?"

She scoffed. It sparked a lecture from her. She said that if they failed their OWLs, it would be their own fault for not paying attention. Evani felt bad that she never took notes. She just tended to soak up information like a sponge, remembering everything said in class.

"Hermione, let us copy. We just don't have your brains or concentration. You're smarter than we are. Is it nice to rub it in?"

Hermione tried not to blush. "Don't give me that rubbish"

"Nice one" Evani mouthed to Ron.

They went down to the dungeons…

* * *

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	29. Chapter 29: Evie vs Snape

They went down to the dungeons. It was freezing. She rubbed her arms.

"Is it always like this?"

"All the time"

Evani blew on her hands, warming up her body. They waited outside the classroom. She could smell potions brewing behind the door.

"This is going to be my favorite class" she said, smiling.

Ron looked at her, horrified. "Potions?"

"Yea. It's like chemistry, isn't it? I like science"

"You're mental. Besides, Snape is the worst teacher at Hogwarts. He's nasty and mean to everyone except Slytherins"

"Why?"

"Cause he's their head of house. He gives them special treatment. Even if they make their cauldron explode, they still get perfect grades" explained Harry.

"That's unfair"

"Snape's the definition of unfair"

She entered the classroom. As she placed her bag on the back of the chair, a hand grabbed her butt. She jumped. Turning around, she saw Blaise. Her eyes narrowed. He smirked.

"Sorry, Evie. I couldn't help myself"

"Shove off, Zabini. Go bother one of your ditzy fans"

Blaise ignored Harry's comment. His eyes rested on her chest.

"If you want, I could give you a personal tour. I'm a really hands-on guide"

"If you touch me again, I'll cut off your hands" she replied, sweetly.

He winked at her and went over to his friends. Harry glared at his back. Evani turned him away from the Slytherins.

"Ignore him. He's not worth it"

From a back door, a man in his mid 30s emerged. He had greasy black hair, dark cold eyes, and an overall creepy appearance. Evani guessed that he rarely, if ever, smiled. The room became silent. Harry always told her that Snape was one of the most feared teachers at Hogwarts. No one ever wanted to get on his bad side.

"Before we begin today's lesson, I think it's appropriate to remind you that next June, you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and uses of magical potions. Moronic though some of you undoubtedly are"

Snape was certainly not a nice teacher. She understood why Harry and Ron hated the class. At her old school, the teachers would never insult students. It was just rude.

"I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your OWL…or suffer my displeasure"

Neville looked anxious. He stared at the stone floor. It was a known fact that Neville did poorly in most classes, especially Potions. Snape tended to bully Neville for his lack of skill.

"After this year, many of you will cease studying with me. I take only the best in my NEWT level class, meaning some of us will certainly be saying goodbye"

His eyes locked with Harry's. There was immense tension between them.

"I can't wait for that moment. No more Potions" he whispered to Evani, who stifled a giggle.

"But we have another year before that happy farewell. Whether or not you're attempting NEWTs for this class, I advise you all to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I expect of my OWL students"

Snape took out a piece of parchment. He took attendance.

"Rybek"

Evani raised her hand. Snape glanced up from his paper.

"Of course. Our newest transfer"

"Looks like you're Snape's new target" whispered Harry.

"What?" she whispered, confused.

"He hates Gryffindors. He's going to push you around"

"I don't think so"

During their conversation, Snape had walked over to their desk. He looked down at her with his cold eyes. She kept her guard up.

"Dumbledore seems to think you're something special, Rybek. Allowing you to skip a year"

Evani was silent. She did not understand why Snape singled her out. Pansy and her clique watched, smirking.

"You may have proven yourself talented at the _Wizard Battle_ tournament but Potions isn't about foolish wand-waving. Why don't I give you a little start of term quiz? Just to see if you live up to his praises"

She looked at him, confused.

"What is the purpose of a befuddlement draught and its three main ingredients?"

Evani knew that Snape wanted her to fail. He was doing this to embarrass her, the newest Gryffindor. She would not let him win this little game. If he wanted to scare her, he needed a better strategy.

"It causes a person to be reckless. Scurvy grass, lovage, and sneezewort"

Snape asked her more than a dozen questions, each harder than the last. Some of his questions were past 5th year level. She got all of them right, having read through Hermione's books at Grimmauld Place.

"What are limitations to veritaserum?"

"It can be resisted by using Occlumency or an antidote. Also, the potion just makes you say what you think is true so the drinker's sanity has to be taken into account"

Kids looked surprised that she knew so much about potions. The smirk was wiped off of Pansy's face. Snape looked slightly irked. Silently, he returned to his desk.

"Hey. What about my points? I just went through Jeopardy: Magic edition"

"You won't get them from Snape" said Ron.

"Today, we'll be mixing a potion called the Draught of Living Peace, a potion to soothe anxiety. It often comes up on the OWL exam. Be warned. If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients, the drinker can be put into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep"

Snape flicked his wand. Instructions wrote themselves on the blackboard.

"Ingredients and method are on the board"

Flicking his wand again, he made a cabinet with various supplies open.

"Everything you need will be found in there. You have an hour and a half. Begin"

"I'll get them for you"

"Thanks, Harry" she said, kissing his cheek.

Blushing, he went over to the cabinet. He returned, carrying two of each ingredient. She glanced at the instructions.

"It doesn't look that bad"

"I'll fail anyway"

"Why?"

"Snape hates me. I told you about his school rivalry with my dad"

"If you do the potion right, you'll be fine"

The potion was mostly straightforward. Evani just imagined being back in a science lab though her school never had things like moonstone and unicorn horns. She would triple-check the instructions before doing something. If she learned one thing from playing with chemistry sets at home, it was that the tiniest accident could cause a huge explosion. As she stirred the mixture, it formed a light silver vapor.

"A light silver vapor should be rising from your cauldron" said Snape, with ten minutes left in class.

Walking around the room, he criticized practically every potion, coincidentally ignoring any Slytherins. Seth's cauldron was not emitting any vapor. He just stirred lazily while trying to see up Tracey's skirt. Only Hermione had a similar potion to Evani's. Beside her, Harry's cauldron was filled with dark grey steam. Surprisingly, he did not do the worst. Ron's cauldron produced green sparks. Neville could barely stir his potion due to its cement consistency. Daphne's cauldron was emitting red-colored bubbles. Unfazed, she took out nail polish to do her nails. Snape walked over to Harry and Evani's table.

"Potter, what is this?"

All of the Slytherins watched, eagerly. She could tell that this was regular entertainment for them.

"The Draught of Peace" Harry replied, tensely.

"Tell me, Potter, can you read?"

Draco, Seth, and Blaise laughed hysterically. She rolled her eyes, finding them childish.

"Yes, I can"

"Read the third line for me"

Harry squinted, trying to see through the steam filling the room.

"Add powdered moonstone, stir 3 times counter-clockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, and add 2 drops of syrup of hellebore"

Evani was able to detect his mistake. Harry caught it too. He sighed to himself.

"Did you do everything, Potter?"

"No" he whispered.

"What was that?"

"No. I forgot the hellebore"

Snape looked extremely satisfied. It was some sick pleasure for him to see Harry do something wrong.

"I know you did, Potter. This mess is utterly worthless"

As Snape flicked his wand, the potion began to vanish. She reversed it with her own wand. The potion remained the same. Snape turned to her. The other kids stared at her, stunned. She did not see why Harry would get a failing grade. His potion was not that bad. Snape had not tried to vanish the potions of other students who messed up. It was obvious that he just wanted to bully Harry.

"Evie, what are you doing?" mouthed Hermione, panicked.

"Miss Rybek, I do not tolerate disobedience in my classroom"

"You can let Harry fix it. That's only fair"

Harry kicked the back of her leg. He shook his head slightly.

"Drop it. I'll take the zero" he whispered.

Snape's eyes bore into hers. She stared back at him, determined.

"Alright, Miss Rybek. I'll allow Potter to attempt to make a suitable potion. If he fails, and I am entirely sure he will because he is dimwitted, you'll receive a zero as well"

"Fine with me"

"A shame since you did produce a perfect draught"

"I'll still have my perfect grade"

He went over to Neville, criticizing him. Harry looked at her, alarmed.

"Evie, why did you do that? Your potion was—you'll get a zero"

"I will not. I'll help you fix it"

She went over to the ingredients cabinet. Grabbing a few vials, she returned to the table. Harry looked completely lost.

"I have no idea why you got those"

"Relax. We just need a little distraction"

"Like what? Snape has the eyes of a hawk"

Evani glanced over at the Slytherin side of the room. She focused on the girls' cauldrons. One by one, they shattered, sending liquid everywhere. Tracey shrieked, having the potion all over her uniform. While Snape aided them, Evani waved her hand over the ingredients. The ingredients prepared themselves. She put them into his cauldron.

"Stir it five times clockwise and once counter-clockwise. Repeat that twice"

"A—are you sure?"

"Trust me"

Harry did as she instructed. As he completed the 3rd turn, the grey steam was replaced with light silver vapor. His eyes widened. Snape was still helping the girls.

"It wasn't us, sir. It just happened" said Pansy.

"Perhaps it was an unusually high flame. Are any of you injured?"

Pansy sniffled, fakely. "I think my eyes sting a bit"

"You will still get top marks for your work"

"Thanks, professor"

Evani scoffed under her breath. Snape was conveniently ignoring the fact that none of the Slytherins made the potion. They just put in random ingredients and pretended to work. She could see Daphne and Millicent high-five each other behind their backs.

"It's done, sir" said Harry.

Snape walked over to the table. He inspected the potion.

"Impossible" he hissed.

"Oh it's very possible. I'd say it's perfect" she said.

Evani imitated his voice. "I guess it was our foolish wand-waving"

Some of the guys sniggered. Snape's lip curled slightly. She smirked.

"You should be happy, professor. Harry was able to fix his mistake. He's such a good wizard"

Snape was silent. He looked like a little kid who had their balloon popped. Harry found it hard not to smile.

"Fill a vial with a sample of your potion, label it with your name, and bring it to my desk for testing" he told the entire class.

As Snape turned his back, Harry hugged Evani.

"Thanks, Evie"

"And you doubted my skills"

"Never again"

After handing in their vials, they left the classroom, going towards the Great Hall. Ron kept imitating Snape's face from seeing Harry's perfect potion, making him and Harry laugh. Hermione stashed her Potions book into her bag. She looked displeased with what happened in class.

"Evie, you shouldn't have done that"

"Done what?"

"Talk back to Snape"

"He was being a jerk. He deserved it. Harry's potion wasn't that bad"

"It wasn't your place"

"I did nothing wrong"

They sat together at the Gryffindor table. Evani grabbed an apple.

"Isn't he in the Order? You'd think he'd be nicer to Harry"

Ron grabbed a piece of sheperd's pie. "Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots. I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked for trusting Snape. Where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You Know Who?"

"I'm sure he has plenty of evidence that he doesn't need to share with you, Ron" snapped Hermione.

"Oh shut it, the pair of you"

They looked at Harry, offended. He pushed away his plate in frustration.

"Give it a rest. You're always having a go at eachother. It's driving me mad"

"Harry" said Evani.

Harry left the Great Hall. She contemplated going after him. It was better to leave him alone. Ron glanced at the double doors, expecting Harry to come back.

"He didn't mean that. It's just—he's being a little moody. I think Snape caused it" said Evani, trying to defend him.

Hermione sighed. "He keeps jumping down our throats"

"Well if people stopped being so stupid…"

"It'll take time, Evie. They just don't want to believe him or Dumbledore"

After lunch, Hermione and Evani went to Ancient Runes while Ron went to Divinations. Since Evani wanted to do Divinations and Ancient Runes, which were at the same time, Dumbledore gave her a special schedule. She would alternate each week while doing work for both classes. The class consisted of studying runic scriptures. The teacher, Professor Babbling, acted a bit eccentric at times. She would go off on long random tangets. After Ancient Runes, they headed for DADA…

* * *

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	30. Chapter 30: Umbridge

After Ancient Runes, they headed for DADA. Though she had been excited about this class from listening to Harry's stories, Umbridge ruined it. Evani was unsure how the toad-like Ministry witch would teach. She doubted it would be as interesting as her other classes. She sat towards the front with Hermione. Padma, Parvati's twin sister, charmed a piece of paper. It changed into the shape of a swan, flying around the room. Evani blew on it, making it go higher. Seamus and a few other guys tried to knock it down. Suddenly, it disintegrated, landing on Padma and Parvati's desk. Umbridge was standing by the doorway in the back of the room.

"Good morning, children"

As she walked along the desks, she flicked her wand at the blackboard in little bursts. The words '_Ordinary Wizarding Levels_' appeared.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. O.W.L.s…more commonly known as OWLs"

Reaching her desk, she turned to the entire class.

"Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences may be severe"

With another flick of her wand, the words 'Defense Against the Dark Arts: A return to basic principles' appeared.

"Your teaching in this class has been disturbingly fragmented, hasn't it? With the constant changing of teachers, many whom did not follow a Ministry approved curriculum, it has caused you to be far below the standard we expect for OWL year. We will now be following a structured, theory-based, Ministry approved course of defensive magic. Please copy the following"

The previous words were erased. New words replaced them. Evani read them over. The blackboard read '_Course Aims: 1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic._

_2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can be legally used_

_3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use_'.

She found a lot wrong with those statements. It sounded like they would just be reading about spells. This class was supposed to be more hands-on. She had a suspicion that Umbridge, with her Ministry ties, had an agenda with her new teaching position. Hermione found fault with the course aims too. She frowned slightly.

"Has everyone got a copy of Wilbert Slinkhard's Defensive Magical Theory?"

Some kids murmured in response. "Tut, tut, that won't do. When I ask a question, you shall respond with 'Yes, professor Umbridge' or 'No, professor Umbridge'. Let's try that again. Does everyone have a copy?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge" they chorused.

"Good. I would like you to turn to page 5 and read chapter one: basics for beginners. There's no need to talk"

From her bag, Evani took out the book. She had never looked at it properly. The cover reminded her of a children's book. Hermione had her hand raised.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Getting to the bottom of this"

Evani did not bother to read the chapter. Glancing at the table of contents, she noticed something strange. She raised her hand too. After about five minutes, most of the class watched them. Umbridge was glancing in the opposite direction. She finally turned to both of them.

"Something you'd like to ask about the chapter, dears?" she asked with a false sweetness in her voice.

"No, not about the chapter" said Hermione.

"Well we're just reading for now. Any queries can wait until class is over"

"It's about your course aims"

"And your name is?"

"Hermione Granger"

"Well, Miss Granger, I think these are perfectly clear"

"There's nothing about using defensive spells"

Umbridge let out a small laugh. "Using spells? I can't imagine why you'd need to use spells in my classroom"

Evani looked at her, weirdly.

"We're not using magic?" asked Ron, surprised.

"Students will raise their hand in my class, Mister…"

"Weasley"

Umbridge turned her back on him. Harry raised his hand into the air along with Evani and Hermione's. Other kids seemed to notice problems with the class now. Umbridge looked at Evani again, ignoring Harry.

"Another question, dear?"

"No offense but the point of this class is to use spells"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert?"

"No but"

"Then I'm afraid you do not decide the point of this class. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study, Miss Rybek"

"You really see nothing wrong with this? It's called defense against the dark arts. It's about learning how to prepare yourself and you can't do that reading a book. It's not the same at all" she retorted, Hermione nodding beside her.

She could see Umbridge's anger rising. The toad-faced teacher walked closer to her. Her lips had twisted into a sickening smile.

"You seem to think that you're above your elders, Miss Rybek"

"I never said"

"Just because you see yourself as quite intelligent does not mean you can show disrespect to those above you"

"I wasn't"

Evani realized that she was referencing Harry's trial when she insulted Fudge. She never did anything wrong. It was the truth. If the Ministry wanted to be foolish and ignore the obvious signs to Voldemort's return, it would be their funeral. Umbridge just blindly believed in Fudge, being a Ministry puppet. Even at the trial, Evani got this bad vibe from her.

"Very nasty things happen to children who don't learn their place"

Kids in the class looked from Umbridge to Evani. It definitely sounded like a threat. Harry and Ron glared harshly. Hermione looked shocked by her statement.

"You will be learning about magic in a secure, risk-free way"

"What use is that? If we're attacked, it won't be risk-free"

"Hand, Mr. Potter"

Other kids raised their hands. "And your name is?"

"Dean Thomas. It's like Harry said, isn't it? If we're attacked"

"You have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, including extremely dangerous half-breeds"

"Professor Lupin? He was the best we ever"

"Hand, Mr. Thomas! You have been introduced to spells far too complex and inappropriate for your age, frightened into believing you'd meet Dark attacks each day"

Evani thought back to her situation with Bass. How could Umbridge think there was no danger in the world? Evani herself, who months ago had been just a normal teenage girl, found herself thrust into the wizarding world due to one wizard's murderous agenda. She resisted the urge to talk about it to disprove Umbridge's false reality.

"We haven't. We" started Hermione.

"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger. It is my understanding my predecessor performed illegal curses on you"

"Well he turned out to be a maniac, right? We still learned loads" said Dean.

Evani noticed that none of the other houses had raised their opinions. Gryffindors really were the brave ones. The Slytherins just sat in the back, silently. Seth whispered to Draco, who sniggered.

"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through examinations, which is what school is all about"

Hannah raised her hand, shyly. "And your name is?"

"Hannah Abbott. I—isn't there a practical part to the exam where we need to show that we can do the spells?"

"As long as you have studied the theory, it will be suitable to perform the spells at your exam"

She had a panicked expression. "Without practicing them before?"

"I repeat. As long as you study the theory"

Harry's fists were shaking on his desk. He looked enraged, listening to Umbridge. Evani was worried about his temper. What if he let something bad slip out?

"What's good theory in the real world?"

"This is school, Mr. Potter"

"So we're not going to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing out there, dear. Who would harm children like yourself?"

Harry made a thinking face. "I don't know…maybe Lord Voldemort"

A few kids let out audible gasps. Neville almost fell out of his chair. Most stared at the floor, silently. Evani worried that this would happen. She and Hermione exchanged nervous looks. Umbridge was oddly silent. She finally spoke in a calm voice.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter. Let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned. This is a lie"

"It's not a lie! I saw him! I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter! Tomorrow evening. 5 o'clock, my office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry guarantees that you are not in danger. If you are still worried, you can come see me. If someone is telling you these fibs, I would like to know about it. I am here to help. Now kindly continue reading chapter one, please"

Harry was still filled with rage. Umbridge's insistence to call him a liar in front of everyone just made it worse. Evani thought she might be doing it purposely. She tried to get his attention to stop him. He did not even notice, too focused on Umbridge.

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

Everyone stared at Harry. Lavender covered her mouth, eyes wide.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident"

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him and you know it!"

"Enough! Come here, Mr. Potter"

Harry went over to her desk. She handed him a note.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall"

As he left, he slammed the door. Kids pretended to read though they kept glancing at the door. Evani was seething from this whole incident. How could Dumbledore let this horrid woman teach? Umbridge was just going to make things worse, especially for Harry. No one even came to his defense. It just showed their stupidity that they believed some tabloid. The bell finally rang. Evani left the classroom with Ron and Hermione.

"I hope Harry's alright"

"He'll be okay, Hermione. Umbridge just wound him up" assured Ron.

"I'm going to prove it to her"

They looked at Evani, confused.

"Prove what?"

"That he's back. I can take Harry's memory of the graveyard and show it to her like a movie. Then she'll have to believe it. Let's go find Harry"

Hermione grabbed the back of her cardigan. Evani struggled against her.

"You are doing no such thing. Evie, you're not thinking clearly"

"Yes, I am. Harry doesn't deserve this. No one does"

"If you use your—abilities, Umbridge will tell Fudge"

"I don't care"

"Then it will be a repeat of the Bass situation. We're not letting you get in trouble. She practically threatened you in class"

After a minute, she sighed. She had trouble calming down. Since she could not go after Bass, she had a lot of pent-up anger. She wanted to take it out on someone. Umbridge was the perfect target. She just hated seeing Harry being bullied for no reason. He did not deserve to be treated like some foolish attention seeker. These kids needed to get some common sense.

"Fine. I won't do anything"

"I know you want to help Harry but just being there for him is enough"

"You're right. I'll see you guys in the common room"

"Is everything"

"I want to talk to my parents. I promised that I'd call every day"

Evani found a quiet spot near the lake. Sitting against an oak tree, she took out the fairytale book. She skimmed through it. Some of the stories seemed to be related to the wizarding world. Others were ones that she heard back home like _Cinderella_ and _Beauty and the Beast_. She stopped at the story of _Snow White_.

"Totally not me. My mom didn't die giving birth to me and I'm not pale as snow. I'm really tan. I don't have an evil stepmother"

As she flipped the page, she saw a picture of a young girl on the ground while a man in armor stood over her body. He had a knife in his hand. Reading the writing below the picture, it called that man the huntsman.

"The evil queen ordered the Huntsman to take Snow White's heart, killing her"

A part of her dream, where Caleb attacked her, flashed in her mind. She tried to forget it.

"Coincidence. A normal nightmare"

The next line read 'But the Huntsman spared her for he had fallen deeply in love with her'. Her eyes stayed on the picture. She shook her head.

"Caleb doesn't love me. He's…really nice"

Her thoughts went to the night that Bass kidnapped her. Caleb had been the only one to help her. He could have turned her over to Bass. Instead, he let her go and he kept her location at the Dursleys a secret. He even offered to let her stay with him for safety.

"I'm going crazy" she whispered.

The picture began to move. As the huntsman raised his knife, she could see the young girl more clearly. She had a necklace that looked similar to Evani's. It had the same sapphire gem. She closed her eyes. It all had to be in her imagination. Classes were just tiring her out. She shut the book and placed it back in her bag.

"Evani?"

Dumbledore walked over. He was watching her with curiosity.

"Hi, sir"

"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked, sounding strangely concerned.

"I just wanted some privacy"

"I can see how that's difficult to come by here. How was your first day?"

"Interesting"

"As I've heard. Excellent job passing Professor Snape's pop quiz…and helping Harry correct his work"

"You heard about that?"

"News travels very fast at Hogwarts. You should get inside"

Evani got up from the grass.

"Evani, I do not want you wandering anywhere alone…for your safety. I'd rather you always be with someone wherever you go"

She nodded.

"You've had an eventful first day. You should rest"

Instead of the common room, she went into the library. Sitting in the back corner, she started doing her homework. Whenever she had a lot on her mind, she thrust herself into work. It was really helpful. She conjured a large stack of books beside her. Blowing on her pen, she allowed it to write Snape and Binns's essays. She picked up her Ancient Runes book, reading the assigned chapter. At the same time, she opened up an AP chemistry book and a geometry book. Her father made her promise to continue with her muggle school work. He wanted her to keep her grades up for college despite being at Hogwarts this year. She would get e-mails from her teachers at her old school, giving her the daily assignments. The exams would be electronically sent too. Ginny thought it was ridiculous to do so much work. She just did not understand how Evani's family worked.

"Hey"

Glancing up, she saw Lukas. "Hi Lukas"

"What are you doing?"

"Homework"

"I can see that. I know OWL year is torture but I don't remember having that much work on the first day"

She kept reading the Runes chapter. He waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry. What?"

"This is all Hogwarts work?"

"No. It's stuff from back home too. The classes that I'd be taking if I was back home"

"Why? You're not there"

"It doesn't matter. My dad wants me to do it"

"So you're going to kill yourself by doing muggle and Hogwarts work"

"I like doing work. Besides, I doubt I'll be here long"

"What does that mean?"

Mentally, she cursed herself. She needed to work on not blurting things out. No one else knew about the deal she made with the Order about being able to leave after winter break.

"Just that…it's unlikely that I'd get a job here so I need my grades in the muggle world to be good so I can get into college"

"You're only 14"

"My parents have had my college picked out since I was a baby"

Lukas took one of the books. "AP Chemistry? Sounds awful"

"Don't you have homework?" she asked as she did her geometry assignment.

"Yea but I'm kind of worried about you"

"Why?"

"Because you're going to go mental from all this"

He did not look very convinced. She smiled.

"I'll be fine. I'm used to a lot of work"

"I think I'll stay with you…just in case you pass out from exhaustion. I don't want Madam Pince to freak out. She can be a bit scary"

He sat across from her. As she proofread her Potions essay, she noticed Lukas staring.

"Lukas"

He snapped out of a daze.

"Sorry. I spaced out…really long Head meeting with Dumbledore" he said, lightly blushing.

"About what?"

"Just general rules and making sure kids behave with Umbridge around. She seems a bit uptight"

"She's a bitch"

Lukas snickered. "I didn't expect that from you"

"Well it's true. She's so deluded that she probably thinks unicorns vomit cotton candy and glitter. She was so mean to Harry in class"

"You're really close, aren't you? You and—him"

Evani nodded, doing geometry problems. Her phone rang. She put it on the table, letting it go on speaker. It was her friend Melody.

"What's up, Mel?"

"Are you doing the geometry assignment?"

"Yea. Half-way through"

"Okay. So I'm like stuck on number 40 with the"

"It's 60 degrees"

"And then number 53"

"The side is 10"

"I got 12"

Even from miles away, Evani was able to read Melody's mind. She saw Melody's worksheet through her eyes.

"You messed up the calculation in the 3rd step"

"Damn it. I knew I messed it up. I got distracted by a commercial with a hot guy. Thanks, E"

Evani hung up the phone. She looked at Lukas.

"Sorry. I usually do my homework with my friends and"

"How did you know the answer right away?"

"I remembered the problem and just did the equations in my head"

"And you're not in Ravenclaw?"

"Just too good" she joked.

He playfully glared. "Well stop being smart. I have the best grades at Hogwarts and I won't let some American beat me"

"I love a good challenge"

After twenty more minutes, she finished all of her work. She made her muggle books vanish and placed her Hogwarts books in her bag. He looked surprised.

"You finished all that?"

"Yep. Guess I am smarter"

"I've been done with my Transfiguration essay for five minutes. Just didn't want to brag"

Evani took the essay, sitting on his lap. She glanced over the essay. Turning to him, she smirked.

"Really? Cause you finished the conclusion with 'and'"

"It's a cliffhanger" he replied, making her giggle.

He wrote a few more words. "Done"

"One essay...so hard" she said, sarcastically.

"Thanks for understanding"

"It's almost 9. I should get back"

"You're fine. As long as you're with the Head Boy, you won't get in trouble"

He gasped fakely. "That's me"

"What a perk"

They spent the next hour, joking around and watching funny videos on his laptop. She was really glad to meet Lukas. Both of them came from the muggle world. He understood what it felt like to be in this whole new magical place. They walked back to the Gryffindor common room together.

"You didn't have to walk me back"

"I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with Filch"

"Thanks, Lukas" she said, kissing his cheek.

"Listen, I'm quidditch captain for Ravenclaw and we're having tryouts tomorrow. It's during lunch. Do you want to…watch? I just figured since you never saw quidditch before"

She nodded, smiling. "It sounds fun"

"Great. I can meet you outside of your Transfiguration class"

"I'll see you then"

"Night, Evie"

"Night"

Evani went up to her room. Emily and Spencer were already asleep, wearing eye masks and their faces covered in some green gel. The fifth bed had a girl, who she assumed to be Clare, in it. Glasses rested on the nightstand beside her. Ginny was the only one awake.

"Finally. Where were you?"

"Doing homework"

"Homework?"

"In the library…and talking to Lukas"

She smiled. "Lukas Hale? He's so cute, Evie"

"He's really nice. He asked me to watch his quidditch tryouts tomorrow" she said, sitting on her bed.

"Ooh, maybe he'll ask you on a real date"

"We've known each other for like two days"

"And I bet he's already head over heels for you"

"Hard not to be with this face"

They giggled. Evani and Ginny stayed up for a few more hours, gushing over cute guys at Hogwarts like Lukas…

* * *

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	31. Chapter 31: Draco's apology

-The next day- Evani was woken up by rain hitting the window. Shadow rested on her stomach. She sat up, seeing Emily, Spencer, and Clare gone from their beds. Ginny was still fast asleep. Grabbing a pillow, she chucked it at her head. Ginny fell out of her bed. She rubbed her head.

"Hey!"

"Wake up, lazy"

"It's too early" she whined.

"Least Emily and Spencer already left"

They started to get dressed. Evani altered Ginny's uniform like she had done to her own. She just made the skirt shorter and changed the shoes. Ginny doubted she could win against McGonagall like Evani did the day before. As Evani brushed her hair, she heard a light tapping sound. There was a small barn owl perched outside the window.

"Do you recognize that owl?"

Ginny shook her head. "No. It can't be a school one. They fly around during breakfast"

"Better let it in before Umbridge shoots it down"

"Good point"

She opened the window, letting the owl into the room. It landed on her bed. Shadow eyed it, curiously. There was a letter tied around the owl's leg. Evani untied the letter and read it. It was from Caleb. He insisted that he never gave away her hideout location at the Dursleys. She knew that he would not side with Bass. He warned her to be careful about who she trusted at Hogwarts. Caleb believed that Bass had spies in the school, even students, who could be passing along information to him. At the end of the letter, he told her that Bass was formulating a plan to ensure she could not stay at Hogwarts for protection. She burned the letter. Ginny was petting the owl.

"Who was it from?"

"Caleb"

"That American auror? Is everything okay?"

"He just said to be careful"

"You're safe here, Evie. No one would ever try to hurt you at Hogwarts"

"What are you going to do, Colt?" she heard.

Evani went into the bathroom. Emily and Spencer had a short pale girl cornered. Glasses floated above them. As Clare tried to get her glasses, Emily levitated them higher. They giggled snootily. Evani glared. She took out her wand, digging it into Emily's back.

"Leave her alone, both of you"

They turned around. Spencer scrunched her nose.

"Ugh, it's the mudblood. Come to help the other freak?"

"Stop picking on her or you'll regret it"

"Is that a threat, Rybek?"

"No, Briggs. It's a promise"

The tip of her wand glowed red. They looked a bit uneasy. She was sure that they had seen the _Wizard Battle_ tournament and how she beat Gage. It would be even easier to handle these two ditzes.

"Fine. Here, Colt"

Emily chucked the glasses at Clare. She missed them by an inch, causing them to hit the wall and break. Clare bent down, trying to find them.

"Next time, Rybek, we won't let you ruin our fun"

As they passed her, Evani shot a spell. Their faces were covered in acne and turned the color of a bad spray-tan. Ginny giggled as they passed her.

"What's so funny, Weasley?"

She stifled her giggles into her hand.

"Nothing"

"You're all losers"

Evani picked up Clare's glasses. She fixed them, handing them to her. Clare put them on, blushing.

"Thank you" she said, meekly.

"If those ditzes bother you again, tell me or Ginny, okay?"

"W—why are you being nice to me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Evani and Ginny went down to the Great Hall. Serena walked over, smiling.

"Who wants to hear something funny about a Slytherin?"

"I'm always up for that" said Ginny.

The three of them sat at the Gryffindor table together. Some Slytherins shot Serena dirty looks for not sitting with her house. Serena stuck her tongue out at them. Evani would never understand these Slytherins. They insulted Serena on a daily basis yet wanted her to sit with them.

"So what's your news?"

"I was doing my Charms assignment in the common room when my brother and his idiot friends came back from dinner last night. Pansy was flirting with Draco and trying to get him to hook up with her. She's the worst flirt"

Scrunching her face like Pansy's, she said "Drakie, we haven't had fun in months. Don't you miss our games?"

"Gross" said Evani, grabbing an apple.

"Draco kept ignoring her and looked all sad. He said he wasn't in the mood cause of his dog Ellie"

Evani looked at her, weirdly. Serena stifled a laugh.

"And how right before he came to Hogwarts, Ellie was ignoring him and they had been so close before"

"I didn't know he had a dog"

"Evie, he meant you. He's not going to say your name directly. One, because Pansy would go ballistic and two, he has a reputation. He can't let his precious followers know he's upset over a girl. He's been getting drunk with the guys every night. He's a wreck. It's hilarious"

"He's really that upset?"

Serena's smile faltered. She hit Evani's hand with a spoon.

"No. This is what he wants. Don't feel sorry"

"But"

"Evie, I've known him since I was little. He's not used to rejection. Like all of those conceited prats, he thinks he deserves everything. Don't get sucked back in"

Evani glanced over at the Slytherin table. Draco was pushing around the food on his plate. He ignored his other friends. She wondered if she had been too hard on him at the party. Her thoughts drifted to their conversations over the summer. She remembered how sweet he had been with her. He could have just been boasting to Seth and Blaise to impress them. It was how guys acted sometimes.

"Evie!" chorused Ginny and Serena.

"Maybe I should talk to him"

Ginny shook her head. "No, trust me. It's all an act. He's doing this to get you in bed"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. It sounded a lot funnier last night" said Serena.

"It's okay. Hearing Pansy get rejected is funny"

Owls began to fill the Great Hall. They went to various students, dropping off packages. To her surprise, a brown spotted owl landed in front of her, with a box tied around its leg.

"I think you've got the wrong person"

"No. It says Evie on the box" said Ginny.

"I don't have an owl"

Ginny took off the letter attached to the box.

"It's from your dad. He said that Dumbledore gave them a box that fits anything they want to send you in miniature size but it expands once out of the box"

"He gave them an owl?"

"Yea. Your mom named it Specs…cause the markings around its eyes make it look like it's wearing glasses"

"He bought an—they always do this"

Evani untied the box from its leg. She opened it, seeing 40 small boxes. Serena glanced inside. Her eyes widened.

"Your parents bought you all that?"

"Probably to make up for the summer too. My parents give me and my brother presents every day because they say that every day with us is Christmas"

"That's so cute, Evie"

She took out one of the boxes. It expanded to normal size. Opening it, she saw a silk scarf. Serena and Ginny kept opening the other boxes, amazed at the gifts. Evani did not care as much. She was used to getting expensive gifts. Once she fed the owl a treat, it flew off. She placed the gifts back into the original box, sending it up to her room with a spell.

"By the end of the week, there will be 100 boxes"

"Your parents really miss you"

The bell finally rang. She stood up to see the 5th year guys waiting. They all had hopeful looks in their eyes.

"Evie, please let me take your bag again" said Dean.

"You had your turn. It's mine"

"Says who?" Anthony said to Seamus.

"Says me"

"You can't just do that" said Stephen, another Ravenclaw.

They started arguing again. "We'll uh leave you with your admirers"

Ginny grabbed hold of Michael Corner, her Ravenclaw boyfriend. He waved at Evani while being dragged from the Hall. Serena followed them.

"Boys, there's no reason to fight over little old me. I'll pick at random. Anthony, you can take my bag"

He smiled, putting her bag on his shoulder. They walked up to the Charms classroom. Like the day before, they kept complimenting her.

"You're the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, Evie" said Justin.

"Not just Hogwarts, the world" said Kevin.

"Y'all are just saying that"

They shook their heads. "No. It's true. You're the prettiest girl ever"

"How pretty?"

"You make veela look like trolls" said Seamus.

Once the door opened, they entered the classroom. She found Harry already in the back row. Taking her bag from Anthony, she sat beside him. Some of the guys glared daggers at Harry.

"You know, your fan club might kill me if we sit next to each other"

"Too afraid to take that risk, hero?"

"Not at all"

"I didn't get to ask you. How was it with McGonagall?"

"I have a week's detention with Umbridge every night"

Evani kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry. I know you're telling the truth"

"I wish everyone else did"

Flitwick, a small half-goblin, stood on top of a stack of books. He reminded her of a toy doll. For fifteen minutes, he talked about the importance of OWL exams. Evani drew a picture of Umbridge in her notebook. She used magic to animate it. In the drawing, Umbridge caught flies with her tongue like a frog, crouching on the floor. Harry looked at the drawing. He sniggered under his breath. Grabbing his pen, he drew a car. The car repeatedly ran over Umbridge. Evani giggled. Hermione shot them both a patronizing look. After Flitwick's lecture, they spent an hour reviewing summoning charms. He asked them to split into pairs to practice on objects around the room.

"Partners?" asked Harry.

She scoffed in fake disgust. "With you? Never"

He playfully glared. "Well you're stuck with me"

They went down to the floor, standing in front of a stack of objects like cushions and books.

"Maybe I should go first. You are a newbie after all" he said.

She gasped. "Are you questioning my skills, Mr. Potter?"

"I just don't want you to embarrass yourself. Watch a master at work"

"Well where is he?"

"Ha ha"

He pointed his wand at a book. "Accio book"

It zoomed into his hand. Her eyes widened.

"Wow. You are the most amazing wizard ever"

"I've been told that. I'm a bit famous, you know"

She giggled, pushing his shoulder. He smiled.

"You can try"

"Do you think I'm ready?" she asked, dramatically.

"I think so. If you blow something up, you're taking the blame"

Evani pointed her wand at a cup. She cast the charm. The cup flew into her hand. She smirked at Harry.

"Looks like I'm just as good as you"

"Lucky shot"

During the entire lesson, they kept laughing and joking around. It made Evani miss being back at the Dursleys. She liked when it was just her and Harry. Being at Hogwarts made it difficult to get any kind of privacy. She giggled as he imitated Trelawney.

"I see you dying at the end of the year, just as I predict every single year but it never happens"

The bell rang.

"Accio"

Both of their bags zoomed towards them. Harry caught his, putting it on his shoulder.

"I see the student is surpassing the teacher"

"Yes, Batman. Robin is about to go solo"

They caught up to Ron and Hermione. Ron had accidentally summoned a book instead of a cushion durin the lesson. The book knocked into his nose, giving him a small cut. He kept rubbing his nose.

"You found that lesson a lot more fun than I did" said Ron.

"Harry made it fun"

"No, you did"

"Fine, it was me"

"I just said that to be nice. It was obviously me"

Hermione was watching them with a small smile. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing"

They went down to the first floor for Transfiguration. McGonagall was already waiting for them. Evani sat beside Hermione. Like Flitwick, McGonagall started with a lecture about OWLs. Evani barely listened. She did not think the exams would be as bad as they claimed.

"You cannot pass your OWLs without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why not everyone in this room should receive an OWL in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work"

She tapped the blackboard with her wand. Words began to write themselves. At the top of board was 'Vanishing Spells'. Drawings accompanied the text.

"Today, we are starting vanishing spells. These are easier than conjuring spells, which you wouldn't attempt until NEWT level. This is some of the most difficult magic you'll encounter on your OWL exam"

A box levitated around the room, placing two snails on each desk. Some girls looked at them, disgusted. Evani picked up her snail. She wanted to use magic on something bigger like a dog.

"Just point your wand at the object, give it a quick flick, and say _Evanesco_. Remember to enunciate or it will not work properly"

Kids began to try the spell. None of them made even the slightest change. Hermione flicked her wand.

"Evanesco"

Part of its shell vanished then reappeared. She frowned slightly.

"I think I need to say the 'e' at the beginning more clearly"

"Go for it"

"Miss Rybek"

McGonagall walked over. "Why are you not attempting the spell?"

"Can I just try to vanish something bigger?"

"You need to start with the basics. Invertebrates are the best to begin with when first learning the spell"

"It's boring"

"Try the spell, please"

Evani rolled her eyes. These lessons were not exactly challenging. It made her wish that she could go back to the days at the training center. She copied McGonagall's wand movements. The entire snail vanished.

"Yay" she said, halfheartedly.

McGonagall looked surprised. There was a small smile on her face.

"Excellent work, Miss Rybek. Ten points to Gryffindor"

She looked at the rest of the class. "I would think the rest of you would feel guilty that a student younger than you was the first to do the spell properly"

Pansy threw Evani a nasty glare. On her third attempt, Hermione vanished her snail too. McGonagall gave her another ten points. She suggested that they help out the other students. Hermione got paired with Ron and Harry. She went over to their table, where they made little progress.

"Miss Rybek, you can assist…Mister Malfoy"

"Anyone else. Someone definitely needs more help"

"Come along"

Frustrated, she followed McGonagall over to the table with Draco in the back corner. He was sitting by himself. Draco just flicked his wand, lazily. He did not even say the spell. The snail inched across the desk.

"Since you are having difficulties, Miss Rybek will work with you"

Evani crossed her arms over her chest. She silently pleaded with McGonagall using her eyes.

"You will be fine, dear" whispered McGonagall.

McGonagall stopped Daphne from killing her snail with her aggressive wand movements. Giving up, Evani sat beside him. Draco did not even look at her.

"You don't have to help" he said, leaning his cheek against his hand.

He sounded sad and depressed. She scoffed.

"I'm not falling for it"

"Falling for what?"

"This 'I'm so sad and miserable' act. You're not going to trick me"

"I'm not trying to"

"Sure you're not"

She texted on her phone, not bothering to help him. As she read a text from her friend Ryder, she saw a black jewelry box.

"What is that?"

"Open it"

She opened the box. Inside was a diamond tennis bracelet. It seemed familiar. She looked at Draco.

"It's from that jewelry shop by the training center. I remember when you saw it while we had that breakfast break behind Dumbledore's back a few weeks ago. Your eyes lit up when you were looking at it. I bought it for you. I was going to give it to you at Adrian's party for winning the tournament and I remembered that story you told me too"

Evani had no idea what to say. She was surprised that Draco remembered something like that. It had been so long ago. When she saw it in the window of the shop, she told Draco how her grandmother had given her a similar one for Christmas a few years ago. Jayce broke it, passing it off as an accident. She realized that Draco had placed his hand over hers. It snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Evie, please don't be mad at me anymore. I can't take it. I care about you a lot. I admit that I said those things to Seth and Blaise but…it was a mistake. I was being stupid. If it takes putting aside my dislike for Potter, I'll do it. I'll do anything"

Evani glanced between him and the bracelet. She found it impossible to stay mad at him. He was being sincere. She kissed his cheek.

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Yes"

"Having you hate me was torture"

"I never hated you"

He hugged her. It made her heart jump. The bell rang,signaling the end of class. He still held onto her.

"Draco, class is over"

"I don't want to leave"

"Those of you who didn't vanish your snails completely will work on it for the next class"

Draco groaned. "Like we don't have enough work"

Evani flicked her wand. His snail vanished.

"One less thing to do"

"That was very sneaky. Sure you're not supposed to be a Slytherin?"

McGonagall went around, collecting the snails. She was impressed that Draco managed to do the spell properly. Draco pretended that Evani helped him figure it out. Evani put the bracelet on her wrist. They left the classroom together…

* * *

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	32. Chapter 32: Mysterious creatures

They left the classroom together. Harry and Ron walked over to them. Neither of them looked happy with this reconciliation. She prepared herself for an argument. It would be difficult to convince Harry that Draco was not a bad person. They had this on-going rivalry ever since 1st year.

"Evie, what are you doing with him?"

"It's okay. We made up"

"What? You can't"

"Harry, there's nothing to worry about"

"Evie, come to the library with us. Hermione's still mad at me from this morning and we can't figure out Snape's essay" said Ron, pleadingly.

"Like she wants to go with you, Weasley"

She looked at Draco, giving him a stern look. He was not going to insult her friends in front of her. If they wanted to keep their friendship, all three would need to learn to get along.

"I meant that…you don't want to spend lunch in the library. Wouldn't you rather sit with me?"

"Why would she want to be around a group of arrogant prats?" retorted Harry.

"Harry!" said Evani.

"Better than helping an idiot like you, Potter"

"Guys, I already promised to hang out with Lukas"

Harry and Draco turned to her. Both had confused expressions on their faces.

"What?" they chorused.

"He asked me yesterday. I'm watching his quidditch tryout"

"You're not even a Ravenclaw" said Draco.

"I'm just watching, not trying out. He asked and I said yes"

Lukas was walking towards them. Girls kept waving at him as they passed. Ginny did not joke about his heartthrob status at Hogwarts. He smiled at her.

"Hey Evie. Ready to go?"

"Yea"

As she started to move, she got held back. Harry and Draco were holding one of her arms. It reminded her of the incident on the train.

"Guys"

They let go of her. She went over to Lukas.

"Was I interrupting something?"

They went outside towards the quidditch pitch.

"No. We were just talking"

"Looked like fighting"

"I'm trying to get them to like each other"

Lukas laughed. "Malfoy and—good luck. They've been at each other's throats since they first got here"

He brought her over to an enormous oval-shaped field. There were stands raised high in the air. On either side of the field stood three circular hoops of varying height.

"Wow"

"Cool, right?"

A broom flew to Lukas's side. It had polished wood and a sleek style. Towards the front of the handle, _Nimbus 2001 _was emblazoned in gold letters. She remembered watching the guys play quidditch at Grimmauld Place. Harry used the best broom, a _Firebolt_, a gift from Sirius in his 3rd year. Ron told her that it was ridiculously expensive and only the professional teams had them. Despite Harry's superior broom, he believed that skill mattered more. He referenced a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin in 2nd year when the Slytherins had the _Nimbus 2001_ while Harry had an older version of the broom. Even with his older broom, he still beat Draco in getting the snitch. She was sure that Lukas was a great player if he was captain of the entire team.

"I just got it. Not as good as a _Firebolt_ but it's wicked fast"

"So what's the tryout for?"

"We lost a few people last year. We need a chaser, two beaters, and a back-up seeker. Beaters tend to be harder to find since they need to be strong and able to hit the bludgers"

"Why do you only need a back-up seeker?"

"Well Cho's the seeker now but she's been a bit—off. Her boyfriend was Cedric Diggory"

Her eyes widened. "The one who"

Lukas nodded, sadly. "He was a great guy. She took it really hard. She spends every night in her room, crying"

"Luke!"

Two guys his age, both very muscular and good-looking like him, walked over. They looked down at her.

"Guys, this is Evie"

"We know who she is, Lukas. Don't insult us"

"And these two idiots are"

"We are perfectly capable of introducing ourselves. We're not idiots like you think"

"I'm Roger Davies" said the brunette, smiling.

The blonde did a fake bow. She stifled a laugh.

"Max Chambers"

Lukas rolled his eyes. "Roger's a chaser with me and Max is the keeper"

"It's nice to meet you both"

"Where's Cho?" asked Lukas.

"We went to get her in the Great Hall. She and Marietta were talking then she noticed a bowl of grapes and…it went downhill"

"Grapes?"

"According to her, Cedric loved grapes. She started bawling. Marietta snapped at us and we gave up"

He sighed. "Well we better find a back-up then"

Kids started coming towards the quidditch pitch. Crinkling her nose, Evani conjured a whistle. She gave it to Lukas.

"A whistle"

"My lucky whistle. I always used it when I had tryouts. I was captain of a few teams back at my old school. Every year, we got 1st place"

"That is lucky. Are you sure I can handle it?"

"The whistle decides, not me"

He chuckled. "You can go sit in the stands to watch"

"Good luck"

Evani kissed his cheek. She sat in the front row of the stands. Some of the kids were really young, only 1st years. She doubted that they could fly well. As Lukas addressed them, she felt arms around her waist. They belonged to Draco.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't spend time with you?"

"No, it's just—right now? You're not here to spy on Ravenclaw, are you?"

"Pfft, no. Our team is going to win this year. The other houses don't stand a chance"

"Very confident"

The try-outs started. Lukas was an amazing flyer. When she tried to watch, Draco kept distracting her by poking her side or talking to her. She giggled as he tickled her side.

"Draco"

"What? I like hearing you laugh"

"I'm trying to watch"

"Tryouts are boring"

Roger was testing out the beaters while Max worked on flying drills. Lukas acted as keeper for the kids trying out as chasers. He did great as keeper.

"Wow. Lukas is so good, isn't he?"

"He's not the one trying out, you know"

For a second, she thought he sounded bitter. Draco's hand moved in front of her, holding dirt.

"Okay, this is bringing back bad preschool memories when boys tried to make me eat dirt cakes"

He tapped his wand in the dirt. It transformed into a rose. He gave it to her.

"It's not half as beautiful as you"

His breath on the back of her neck made her shiver. She looked at the rose, getting this sudden burst of anger. It wilted in her hand. She let it fall to the floor. Draco did not even notice.

"You don't know how beautiful you really are, do you?" he whispered in her ear.

She got distracted by one of the potential chasers, a boy in 3rd year, attempting to score on the right hoop. Lukas did a flip with his broom, sending the quaffle right back. She cheered, excitedly.

"Did you see that? That was awesome"

The tryouts ended with everyone coming back to the ground. Lukas got their attention.

"Alright, we've got our new chaser, Oliver Bradley"

"Yes!" said a guy, her age.

"Two new beaters, Pete Halton and Vance Clark" he said, indicating two guys around 16.

With each announcement, more kids looked disappointed.

"And our reserve seeker, Billy Ecton"

A few guys clapped a thin boy around 12 on the back. He looked like he won the lottery.

"Those who didn't make the team, there's always next year. Those who did, practice starts Saturday at 8"

"We should get to class, Evie"

"We have time. You can go ahead"

"Well you've never been to care of magical creatures. You don't know where"

"Lukas can show me"

She got down from the stands, going over to Lukas. Roger and Max grabbed the ball crates. They headed over to a nearby shed. She jumped up to hug Lukas.

"Lukas, you were amazing"

"I think your lucky whistle helped"

"You could play like every position. The way you did that flip…so cool. Your team is going to be the best"

"You know, Gryffindors might not like that"

"Well I can't help it when the opposing captain is so cute"

Lukas smiled, leaning against his broom. "Listen, I was um wondering if"

Suddenly, his broom fell over. He crashed into her, sending them both to the ground. He helped her up, blushing.

"Evie, I am so sorry. I don't know how that happened"

She giggled. "It's okay. I'll live. What did you want to ask?"

"F—forget it. You should get to class"

"Thanks for letting me watch, Lukas. It was fun"

Evani went down towards a cabin by the forest. Grubbly-Plank was standing in front of a long wooden table. As Evani got closer, she saw a pile of twigs and small brown rice. Harry and Ron hurried down the hill.

"Sorry I couldn't help with your essay"

"It's okay. We got most of it done" said Harry.

"I'll help you later if you want"

Loud laughter filled her ears. The Slytherins walked over, laughing hysterically. For a second, she noticed Seth glance over at Harry. Lukas was right that it might be hard to make Harry and Draco get along. She would need to put in a lot of work.

"Everyone here? Let's crack on then. Who can tell me what these are?" she asked.

"Twigs, obviously" said Blaise.

Draco and Seth snickered.

"Stupid gits" muttered Ron.

The twigs jumped into the air. They had a pixie-like appearance with knobbly arms and legs and a bark-like face. The creatures fed on the small brown pieces. Evani recognized them from the creatures book. Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Miss Granger"

"Bowtruckles. They're tree-guardians who usually live in wand trees"

"Correct. Five points to Gryffindor. As Miss Granger said, these are bowtruckles. Anybody know what they eat?"

Evani raised her hand. "Wood lice but they like fairy eggs if they can find them"

Grubbly-Plank nodded. "Good, Rybek. Another five points"

"Stupid mudblood geeks" she heard Tracey hiss.

"Whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree where a Bowtruckle lodges, it's wise to placate it with a bit of woodlice. They look harmless but if angered, they'll try to gouge out your eyes with their sharp fingers. I have enough here for small groups. I want each of you to study them closely and hand in a labeled sketch. If you don't finish today, it'll be due by next lesson"

Evani decided to get the bowtruckle. As she went over to the table, Harry was trying to speak to Grubbly-Plank. She just ignored him. Draco leaned across the table, grabbing one of the bowtruckles. He whispered something to Harry. Based on Harry's angered expression, he made a snide comment. She picked up one of the smaller bowtruckles and some woodlice. Evani, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat together near Hagrid's cabin.

"Guess we can take turns holding it so the rest can draw"

Ron reached for the bowtruckle. It tried to swipe at his hand.

"Bloody hell"

"Here"

Evani placed the bowtruckle between the four of them.

"Stay still so we can draw you. No moving. Got it?"

The bowtruckle was perfectly still. She fed it one of the woodlice.

"How did you do that, Evie?"

"You just have to be gentle"

"What did Malfoy say to you?" he asked Harry.

Harry told them that Draco hinted about Hagrid being hurt. Over the summer, Dumbledore sent Hagrid somewhere to help the Order. Harry, Ron, and Hermione believed that he was visiting giants. Evani doubted that Draco knew anything. She thought about what the Order told her about Draco and his friends doing tests to become death eaters. His father could be giving him secret information. She brushed the thought of her head. Draco just wanted to annoy Harry.

"He's baiting you, Harry. He wants you to react like that"

"How do you"

"There's no way he'd know"

"His dad is"

"I think Hagrid would be smart enough not to get caught"

"I guess. I just wish he'd come back"

They spent the class period drawing the bowtruckle. Evani was finishing the details of its face. She labeled its body parts and wrote her name at the top. Pansy let out a shrill giggle. It made Evani cringe. She glanced over at the nearby Slytherins.

"My dad was talking to Fudge a few days ago. It looks like the Ministry's really coming down on sub-standard teaching so even if that overgrown moron shows up again, he'll be sent packing right away"

Draco spoke in a loud voice. It was easy to hear his every word. Harry squeezed the bowtruckle tightly. It swiped at his hand.

"Ow!"

The bowtruckle ran off into the forest. Seeing what happened, the Slytherins laughed even harder. Harry was seething.

"Harry" said Hermione, exasperated.

"I'll go get it"

"Evie, you shouldn't"

"It didn't go far"

She gave her paper to Hermione. Sneaking past Grubbly-Plank, she went into the forest. It was extremely dark. The trees reached such high heights that they covered the sky.

"Here, bowtruckle. Do you want some lice? Yummy"

The bowtruckle was sitting in the hole of a tree. She held out her hand.

"It's okay. I'm sorry that Harry hurt you"

Sniffing the woodlice, it jumped onto her hand and began eating. She heard a soft hissing sound. Turning around, she saw a dark green viper. It was at least twelve feet long. She kept still, not wanting to scare it. The snake hissed, its yellow eyes staring into hers, and slithered towards her. It circled her, flicking its tongue, and then vanished into a series of bushes. She left the woods. Returning to the class, she gave the bowtruckle to Hermione.

"Guess what I just saw. There was a snake" she said, excitedly.

Hermione put the bowtruckle on the ground. "A snake? In the forest?"

"A viper. It's really strange. They're not usually in areas like this. Maybe it's different in the wizarding world"

"What did it look like?" asked Ron.

"It was dark green and really big. I've never seen a viper that size before. It just slithered a bit and then disappeared into bushes. No big deal"

For a second, she thought Harry looked anxious. His hand was still bleeding from the bowtruckle cut. She waved her hand over it. The cut healed in an instant.

"Thanks"

The bell rang. She handed her drawing to Grubbly-Plank. They headed towards the greenhouses for Herbology…

* * *

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	33. Chapter 33: The Deadly Duel

They headed towards the greenhouses for Herbology. Hermione chastised Harry for wanting to hit Draco. Being prefect, he could get Harry in a lot of trouble. Harry simply rolled his eyes. Kids left the greenhouses. Luna came out, wearing radish earrings. She was a very peculiar person. Seeing Harry, she walked over to him.

"I believe You Know Who is back and that you fought him and escaped from him"

Lavender and Parvati giggled at her appearance. Evani found it rude. Luna seemed to think they were making fun of what she said to Harry.

"You can laugh but people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger and Crumple-Horned Snorkack"

"Well they were right, weren't they? There are no such things" replied Hermione.

Evani nudged her side. "Don't be mean" she whispered.

More kids began to laugh. Luna threw Hermione a scornful look then went towards the castle.

"Do you mind not insulting people who believe me?" asked Harry, turning on Hermione.

"Oh, Harry, you can do better than her. Ginny told me all about her. Apparently, she'll only believe something if there's no proof at all. Evie, back me up"

"You were a little rude"

Hermione looked at her, surprised. "What?"

"You didn't have to say that in front of everyone. There's nothing wrong with having a big imagination"

Ernie went up to Harry. He boasted loudly that he believed Harry and his family supported him and Dumbledore. Harry was taken aback. Some of the Slytherins lost their smug expressions.

"Thanks, Ernie"

"Look, Potter, another freak to join your club" said Pansy.

Serena and Ginny had just left the greenhouse.

"It's sad that you're such a loser that a Weasley pities you, Serena"

Ginny glared. "Stuff it, Parkinson"

Evani started to head over to them. She would not let Pansy push around her friends. Harry grabbed the back of her cardigan.

"Evie, don't" said Harry, holding onto her.

A force knocked him back. Evani got in Pansy's face. There was a great deal of tension between them.

"Don't talk to them like that. Apologize"

"You don't scare me, Rybek. You fit in with them perfectly. The freak, the blood traitor, and the mudblood"

Kids looked at Pansy, shocked. Evani knew that mudblood was not an accepted term. It would be like saying a curse word in the muggle world. Hermione was keeping Ron and Harry from hexing the pug-faced Slytherin.

"I'm not fluent in dog yet. What did you say?"

Pansy's fists clenched. "No one talks to me like that"

"Obviously someone should. Now apologize or else"

"Or else what?"

"I'll give you a free nose job"

"You better shut it, Rybek, and learn your place! I am above you"

"In terms of weight and ugliness, definitely"

Pansy threw down her bag. From her robes, she took out her wand. Evani prepared herself for a fight.

Before Draco could stop Pansy, they heard "Miss Parkinson"

Sprout hurried out from the greenhouse.

"There is no dueling allowed. 10 points from Slytherin"

"But professor"

"Put your wand away and get inside. Burke, Weasley, you girls need to get to class"

Parkinson shot Evani the nastiest glare. Serena and Ginny headed for the castle. The other kids followed Sprout into the greenhouse. Draco tried to stay but Pansy's clique forced him inside.

"This isn't over, Rybek"

"Oh far from it, pug"

"We're settling this with no teachers to protect you. We're going to duel"

Evani stifled a giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Fine, if you want to duel, I'm up for it"

"And when you lose, don't expect me to comfort you"

"I'll keep that in mind. When do we do this?"

"8 o'clock by the quidditch pitch. There won't be anyone near there"

Evani entered the greenhouse and stood beside Hermione. She questioned if Evani worked things out with Pansy. Evani told her about the upcoming duel. Hermione dropped her dragon hide gloves.

"What?" she hissed.

"It was her idea"

"You cannot duel. It's against the rules"

"It's not like we're having it in front of the whole school. Besides, I want to teach that pug a lesson"

"Evie, you can't do this"

She ignored Hermione and listened to Sprout's lecture. Once again, it was about OWLs. Evani played with her hair, not bothering to listen. Herbology was one of the less enjoyable lessons. She had done gardening with her mother before but none of the plants ever had dangerous vines that could strangle a person. The fertilizer smelled terrible, permeating the greenhouse. After the lesson, she went to the Great Hall for dinner. Ginny, Serena, Colin Creevey, and Keith Morgan were sitting at the Gryffindor table. Colin and Keith were 4th year Gryffindors. Evani met them the first night at Hogwarts. Colin was muggleborn like Evani and tended to be much more excited by the magical world. In his earlier years at Hogwarts, he greatly idolized Harry, following him like a little fan. Ginny got him to tone it down. Keith was an avid quidditch fan, always talking about various teams and players. He told them about a recent quidditch match. Colin poured a potion in the back of his camera. She sat beside Ginny.

"Colin, what are you doing?"

He looked away from the camera. "Oh. It's a special potion. It makes my pictures move once they develop"

"Thanks for standing up to Parkinson" said Ginny, gratefully.

"She's annoying. I'm going to handle her and then she'll apologize to Serena and you"

Serena put chicken on her plate. She scoffed.

"Yea, good luck. That will never happen"

"It will when I beat her in a duel"

The four of them looked at her.

"You can't" said Keith, shaking his head.

"Don't turn into Hermione"

"Parkinson's a Slytherin. She'll cheat. They fight dirty, Evie"

Evani was not scared of Pansy. She could easily handle her in a fight with or without magic. Serena offered to be her second in the duel. She explained that it was a back-up in case someone got injured. Evani refused, wanting the duel to be solely between her and Pansy.

"Do you even know how to duel?" asked Colin, worried.

"You shoot spells at each other"

"It's more than that. How many spells do you know? This is your first time at a wizarding school"

"Don't worry about me. Worry about her"

Throughout dinner, Hermione and a few other Gryffindors attempted to dissuade her. Hermione kept bringing up rule-breaking. Dean mentioned that Slytherins would resort to dark hexes. Guys offered to take her place. She ignored all of their concerns. As the plates of food cleared, she walked over to the Slytherin table. Millicent nudged Pansy. She turned around.

"Oh it's you, Rybek. Is the little mudblood backing out?"

Evani crossed her arms. "Not at all. I think we need a few rules though. No seconds"

"Fine with me"

"And only we go to the pitch. Isn't that better for you, pug? No witnesses. Unless you're too scared…"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't need anyone with me. I'm not scared"

"You're not dueling"

Evani looked over at Draco. "We have prefect duties tonight. We have them all week actually"

She saw through his act easily. He was trying to prevent the duel from happening.

"Nice try. I think you can handle walking down a hallway without Lassie here to sniff out trouble"

"If you duel, I'll report you to Snape"

She gasped fakely, putting her hand to her chest. "Oh no, not that"

Blaise snickered into his glass. Draco shot him a dirty look.

"We're having this little duel. If any of you show up to stop it, I'll fight you too"

"I'll bring tissues for when you cry, Rybek" said Pansy.

"And I'll bring you a nice chew toy in the shape of a bone"

Around 8, she went down to the quidditch pitch. She leaned against the stands, waiting. Five minutes later, Pansy arrived.

"Let's make this quick, Rybek. Once I beat you, Draco will see what a loser you really are and then he'll be back to being mine"

"Sure, go for it"

"There's still time to back out"

"Not happening"

Evani took out her wand. They stood a few feet away from each other. For a second, Evani thought she saw a black blur by the stands. She tried to see if someone was watching their duel. Did Pansy tip off the teachers to get her in trouble? She wondered if Pansy was really that stupid.

"I'll count. 1, 2" said Evani.

"Stupefy!"

A jet of red light emerged from Pansy's wand. Easily, Evani blocked it with a shield charm. She expected Pansy to cheat. Like Keith said, the Slytherins played dirty. Pansy kept shooting spell after spell. Evani was trying not to laugh. She blocked them with no effort. Pansy panted lightly.

"This is boring. Just give up and apologize, Pansy"

"No. I won't let some mudblood boss me around"

Evani flicked her wand. Pansy was lifted upside down in the air. Her wand fell onto the grass.

"Put me down!"

"Give up yet?"

"No"

"If you want to play dirty, Pansy, I will too"

"You won't hurt me, Rybek. You're weak and pathetic just like all those other Gryffindors. You don't have the guts"

"Oh you have more than enough gut for the both of us. You're right though. I won't hurt you. I'm better than that"

She reversed the charm, causing Pansy to fall onto her back. Roots shot out from the ground, wrapping around her body. Pansy struggled against the roots.

"Hey!"

Evani placed Pansy's wand on the ground.

"But I will leave you out here. I wonder what the teachers will say when they find you like this"

"You stupid mudblood!"

Bending down, Evani locked eyes with her. She entered her mind. Pansy's eyes glazed over.

"You're going to apologize to Serena, Pansy. You're going to stop picking on her or you'll deal with me. Is that clear?"

Pansy nodded with a dazed expression on her face.

"Word of advice? It's not smart to pick fights with me" she whispered.

Evani left the pitch, returning to the common room. Kids were doing homework or just hanging out. She went over to Serena and Ginny by the couches. They were writing on a piece of paper, glancing at an open Transfiguration textbook. She saw drawings of a hedgehog turning into a pincushion.

"That looks exciting"

Both of them glanced up.

"Evie, you're back already?" asked Serena, surprised.

"You thought it would take long to beat her?"

"So you won?"

Evani sat on the floor with them. She glanced over the book.

"Don't insult me, Serena. If I lost to her, I would never show my face again"

"Bet Pansy was freaking out"

"I left her in the pitch. She won't get out until morning"

"I wish you let us watch" said Ginny.

For the next few hours, they joked around…

~Draco~

Draco was sitting in the Slytherin common room. He watched a quidditch match between England and Ireland with his friends. Crabbe and Goyle, as usual, stuffed their faces with food they snuck out of the Great Hall. Sometimes, he wondered why he put up with the two morons. Together, they had the IQ of a goldfish. Draco glanced over at the bare wall of the common room entrance.

"Draco, don't"

He looked at Adrian. "Let Evie and Pansy have their little duel. Stay out of it"

"Pansy will" he started.

"Lose. You saw Evie at the tournament. She's muggleborn but she's strong"

"They shouldn't be dueling at all. If I just talked to Pansy"

"Draco, don't get in the middle of this. Girls have their own way of fighting" said Seth.

Draco sighed to himself. He worried about Evani. Deep down, he knew that she would win. She was a talented witch. He remembered watching her at _Wizard Battle_, amazed that she held her own against wizards much older than her. Pansy was foolish to challenge her. She had poor skill with dueling. Draco worried more about a teacher finding out about their duel. If someone like McGonagall spotted them, they would get in a lot of trouble.

"And Moran scores again. I'm telling you, Seth. Ireland is going to win"

"Yea right, Blaise. Just wait for Dalton to find the snitch. He's the better seeker"

He heard the wall slide open. Turning around, he saw Malcolm Baddock, a 2nd year. Baddock was covered in dirt. He grumbled, wiping his nose.

"You're not Pansy"

"I'm glad you know the difference"

Draco glared. "Shut it, Baddock"

"She was dueling"

"Wait, you saw their duel?"

"Not really. I had detention with Sprout. She was making me collect herbs and I saw them over at the pitch. I could see spells being thrown. Then after like ten minutes, one of them left"

Baddock went up the staircase, muttering about needing multiple showers. Draco got up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" asked Miles.

"What if that's Evie?"

"I doubt it"

"Even if it's not, we need to go there"

"Draco, Pansy probably lost and now she's having a temper tantrum. She'll be back soon"

He shot the guys a harsh look. After a few minutes, they groaned. Crabbe and Goyle decided to stay. They were probably too full to even move. Draco headed towards the quidditch pitch. It was extremely dark, marking it hard to see much. He spotted a figure struggling on the ground. Worried, he walked onto the pitch. Pansy was lying on the ground. Roots kept her pinned. Blaise laughed.

"Aw, did you get beat, Pansy?"

Something was not right about her. She looked dazed. Draco took out his wand.

"Diffindo"

The roots severed, releasing her. Suddenly, Pansy let out a high-pitched scream. She started scratching her face and arms violently. Her nails cut deep into her skin. The guys looked at each other. Adrian tried to stop her.

"Pansy, what's wrong with you?"

"Get off! I need to get it out of me!"

"Get wh"

She scratched him. He jumped back, holding his cheek. Muttering a spell, he healed the small cut. Pansy continued hurting herself. Within a few minutes, she was covered in scratches. Draco had no idea what was happening. Adrian pointed his wand at her.

"Fercuium"

A stretcher appeared under Pansy. Binds kept her arms to her side. She was unable to move much. He levitated the stretcher, suggesting to take her to the hospital wing. They headed back to the castle. Graham and Cole decided to get Snape. Adrian put Pansy down on one of the beds. Pomfrey left her office.

"Boys, it's very late. What are you"

Her eyes widened, seeing Pansy. Adrian explained what had happened. He left out the duel between her and Evani. Draco looked over at Pansy. She was struggling to move her hands. He went over to the bed.

"Pansy, just relax"

She kept freaking out, sounding less and less human. Snape entered the hospital wing with Graham and Cole. He looked over Pansy with concern. As Pomfrey searched through her potions cabinet, Snape questioned them.

"What was she doing out on the pitch?"

The guys were silent. Draco did not want to get Evani in trouble. Snape would think that she did something.

"Boys, if you want to help Pansy, I need to know everything that you do"

"She was dueling"

He looked at Draco. "Dueling?"

"She got in a fight with Evie before Herbology. Pansy insulted Serena and Evie got involved. They decided to duel tonight"

"I see. None of you witnessed the duel between her and Miss Rybek?"

"No, sir, but it wasn't Evie. She couldn't do something like this"

For a second, doubt flashed in Snape's eyes. Draco knew that Evani was not capable of doing this to Pansy. It had to be dark magic. Pomfrey agreed with Draco. She said it was magic far beyond the abilities of a student. Snape assumed that the hex messed with her head. Something was compelling Pansy to harm herself. As he and Pomfrey inspected Pansy, Draco watched, growing more worried. Neither of them seemed sure of how to fix her.

"Draco, maybe Evie did something"

He looked at Seth. "What?"

"She was the only one at the pitch. Baddock didn't see anyone else"

"Seth, it wasn't her. That's ridiculous. She's a 14 year old girl"

"You saw her at _Wizard Battle_. Some of the charms she used I've never seen before"

"That doesn't mean anything. She wouldn't do this to someone"

Draco decided to go talk to Evani. It was possible that she saw something at the pitch. Maybe a death eater snuck in to spy on the castle and attacked Pansy by accident. He headed towards the Gryffindor common room…

~Evani~

Evani helped Serena and Ginny out with their essays about transformation spells. Fred and George tested their products on some 1st years. As expected, they ignored Hermione's warnings. By midnight, Harry still did not return. It worried her. What could he be doing for Umbridge's detention? Serena glanced at her phone.

"Oh no, it's late. Filch will catch me"

"Tickle the portrait of the lion over there" said Fred, putting away a few pieces of fever fudge.

"It leads right to the dungeons. We found it in our 1st year. Perfect for our Slytherin pranks" said George.

Serena touched the portrait of a lion near the common room entrance. It swung open, revealing a passage. She stepped through the portrait, closing it. Evani and Ginny decided to go up to bed. Her phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw a text from Draco. It said to meet him outside. Confused, she left the common room. Draco was leaning against the wall.

"You're coming with me"

"I'm going to sleep. Whatever you want to show me can wait until tomorrow"

"What did you do to Pansy?"

"We had our duel. I won…but you know that, don't you?"

"What?"

Evani crossed her arms. "I know you were hiding by the pitch"

"Evie, we weren't"

She looked at him, confused. At the pitch, she was sure that it had been him. Draco kept adamantly opposing the duel. He did not want it to happen. She could tell that he was being truthful. It made her wonder who had been watching her and Pansy.

"I wanted to but Adrian forced me to stay in the common room. He said I shouldn't get involved"

"What happened to Pansy?"

Draco ran his fingers through his hair. He shrugged, looking a bit panicked.

"No idea. It had been almost an hour, we went to go find her, and I saw her on the ground. I got rid of those roots you used to pin her. Then…"

"Then?"

"She's acting mental, Evie. She keeps scratching herself, freaking out. She made herself bleed a few minutes ago. We had to take her to the hospital wing"

"That's weird. I'm sorry that I can't help"

"Yes, you can"

He grabbed her wrist, keeping her from leaving. "Draco, I can't"

"Evie?"

Harry was walking down the corridor. He glared, seeing Draco.

"Is Malfoy bothering you?"

"It's none of your business, Potter" he sneered.

"Draco" she said.

"It's between me and Evie. For all I know, you did it"

"I didn't do anything, Malfoy" said Harry.

They looked ready to rip each other's heads off. Evani kept them apart. She did not want to deal with a fight so late at night.

"It wasn't him. Harry had detention with Umbridge. Draco, just leave"

He turned to her. There was a pleading look in his eyes.

"Please just come. Tell Snape what happened or anything you saw. You won't get in trouble" he whispered.

Before she could respond, Harry pulled her through the portrait. They sat on the couches together. She noticed that he kept his left hand hidden under his sleeve.

"What did Malfoy want?"

"I won my duel against Pansy. I left her there to teach her a lesson and he said that something's wrong with her head"

"She's always been mental. I'm sure she's fine"

"You're not"

Evani grabbed his hand. Her eyes widened, seeing deep scarring. It formed the words '_I must not tell lies_'. Harry avoided eye contact. She was filling up with rage. How could Umbridge do this to him? It had to be illegal.

"Umbridge gave me lines, that's all"

"This isn't lines. How did this happen?"

"Her quill. Don't tell anyone"

She blew lightly over his hand. The scars vanished.

"You can't let her do this"

"I'm not going to let her get to me"

"But"

"I can handle her. Don't worry about Parkinson either. Pomfrey can fix anyone"

Evani hugged him and went up to her room…

* * *

**A/N: Even though Evani's the main character, I wanted to show another perspective of the duel through Draco since he's friends with both Pansy and Evani. I don't like stories where Draco completely despises Pansy because in the books, he might not like her as more than a friend but they are friends. I think this chapter showed that he does care about Pansy in some way because they have known each other for a long time so he wouldn't be happy that she's hurt. I also wanted to put in other ideas of what happened to her like with Seth questioning if Evani played a role in it or not. Was there really someone else at the pitch or was it just some animal that ran by? I didn't want to make it obvious if Evani did somehow put this hex on Pansy. I like having that uncertainty since the sorting hat mentioned to Evani that she does have a darkness to her. It's a question of Evani's character and if she really would do something like this. I'm not just going to stop with this incident. It's going to play a role in later chapters. It would be fun to hear your opinions on whether you think Evani did do something to her. **

**Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all of the feedback for the story. It helps a lot. :)**


	34. Chapter 34: Evie loses control

-Friday-The past few days had been filled with all kinds of gossip. It was centered around Pansy. Draco and his friends brought her to the hospital wing but Pomfrey had no clue how to fix her. The rumors about her condition became more ridiculous each time. In the beginning, it started as just a hex gone bad. By the 100th conversation about her, kids said that she was going to be shipped to St. Mungo's, a hospital in the wizarding world, for a permanent stay in the ward for mentally unstable patients. Her condition had gotten so bad that Pomfrey had to magically pin her arms down. Evani was sitting in the muggle studies classroom by herself, typing on her laptop. She watched a video of Bass in his office. He was still attempting to break open the watch from Jayce. She smirked, knowing he would never get around her protection charms. Her phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw a text from Jayce. She deleted it immediately. Evani did not want to have any contact with him. He completely betrayed her. If he did not help Bass, she would never be at Hogwarts. It took a lot of restraint to not tell her parents the truth about Jayce's involvement in this whole mess. The door opened. Draco, Seth, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle entered, speaking in whispers. She could hear bits of their conversation.

"He could help"

"Then we'd owe him something. I don't want to owe your dad, Seth"

"You've got a point"

Draco noticed her. "Evie, you're here early"

"So are you"

"Why are you by yourself?"

"No reason"

They walked over to her. Evani shut her laptop. She did not need anyone else to know about her situation with Bass. Draco was looking at her laptop, curiously. She put it in her bag.

"How's Pansy? Any better?"

"Not even close" replied Blaise.

"Really? It's been a few days now"

"Even Dumbledore can't fix it. He thinks an older student might have cursed her as a joke and they used a curse that they didn't understand. It's not like anyone outside of here could get through the barriers. We'll just party extra hard for her at Howler"

"What's Howler?"

"Nothing" interrupted Draco.

Evani noticed him give Blaise a small look. Blaise acted like he said something wrong. He sat down at a desk beside her, pretending to read a book. Anything involving a party sounded fun to her.

"Liar"

"It's nothing, Evie"

"Fine. I'll get one of your friends to tell me"

"There's nothing to tell"

Evani sat on Blaise's lap. His eyes flickered down to her chest. "What's Howler?"

"Just a restaurant"

She grabbed his tie, pulling him towards her. Blaise had a weaker will. Her looks were enough to break him. She leaned closer, inches from face.

"It's a club. 5th year and up go on the weekends"

Her eyes lit up. As she got up, Blaise fell off of the chair from leaning forward. She smiled.

"I am so in"

"You're not going"

Crossing her arms, she looked at Draco. Blaise stood up, rubbing his head.

"Why not?"

"You're not old enough"

"I'm a 5th year"

"Technically, you're not. Evie, it's a 17 and over club"

"But you can go?"

"It's—well, it's different for guys"

"That is such a double standard. I am going"

"No you're not. If you even try to, I'll tell Umbridge and you'll get detention"

Her eyes narrowed. Draco looked anxious. She was not going to let him interfere. Back home, she went to clubs and bars with her friends all the time. She knew how to get into them despite her young age. Her looks helped with that greatly. They would spend many nights hanging out at clubs and partying. At Grimmauld Place, she had been stuck inside for weeks. Mrs. Weasley would barely let them leave to go shopping. Before that, she was at the Dursleys. Harry did not seem like the partier type. She needed to have fun before she had a mental breakdown.

"Look, I was stuck in a house for months without being able to go out. You are not keeping me locked in here too"

"Let her go, Draco. You can't deprive her" said Seth.

"But" started Draco.

Her eyes narrowed. "Draco, I am going"

Draco remained silent. He sat beside her. As more kids entered the classroom, he tried to dissuade her. He gave lame reasons to make the club sound boring. Burbage began to write on the board.

"Why are you so against it?"

"I just—you're pretty and some guy could"

"I can handle myself"

For the rest of the day, Evani anticipated going out. She had not been to a club in so long. It was a serious problem. Around 8, she started to get ready. She used a spell to look through her clothes. Ginny entered the room.

"Hey Evie. What are you doing?"

"Going to Howler"

"Ooh, lucky"

"You and Serena should come with me"

"My brothers would kill me. You have fun"

"I'll tell you all about it"

She crinkled her nose. Her outfit changed to a strapless black lace mini dress with dark blue heels. She dabbed on strawberry lip gloss. Ginny smiled.

"Someone wants to find a guy"

"After months of being cooped up, definitely"

She put on a black pea coat to cover herself. Grabbing her purse, she went down to the common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting around the couches, drinking butterbeers. It looked like a miniature celebration.

"Hey Evie. I made keeper"

"That's awesome, Ron" she said, smiling.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Howler"

Harry almost dropped his butterbeer bottle. He shook his head. "No you're not"

"Harry, I already had this same conversation with Draco. Neither of you are my dad so you really have no say"

"Evie, is this wise?"

She rolled her eyes at Hermione. "What now, mother?"

Hermione looked concerned. "Being out somewhere like that. What if Bass is just waiting for you to leave Hogwarts?"

"I'll be surrounded by people. Stop worrying"

Harry told her to be back by 10. She scoffed. If she returned before midnight, it was a bad party. Fred and George walked down the staircase. They were going to Howler too. She messed with Harry's hair and left through the portrait. The three of them walked to Hogsmeade. It was a small village with a series of shops.

"So where's Howler?"

"Towards the end. It's off the main path. You can't miss it"

"Have you gone before?"

Fred nodded. "Course. You'll like it. A bit hard to get alcohol if you're not of age but the Slytherins handle that"

"How?"

"By bribing the staff. Only time we appreciate them being conceited prats" said George.

As they neared the end of the road, she saw an enormous building. A sign hung across the front reading 'Howler' in bright red. Next to the writing was a wolf symbol. It looked like a decent place. A group of Hogwarts kids, ranging from 5th to 7th year, waited to the side. Some looked anxious.

"We got a problem. The new owner said no Hogwarts students"

"Even bribes didn't work?" asked Fred.

"Not even a little"

"Way to go, Pucey. You're supposed to handle that"

Adrian glared at Fred. "Why don't you try bribing them, Weasley? Oh wait, you can barely afford a shoe"

The guys began arguing with each other. Evani rolled her eyes. She watched the girls attempt to calm them down. Angelina was keeping Fred from hitting Adrian.

"Guys, fighting won't help"

"We'll figure something out" said Sara, a 7th year Ravenclaw.

"It's Pucey's fault"

"Shut up, Weasley"

Part of her contemplated just getting in herself. Evani could easily do it with her looks. An idea popped into her head.

"Guys"

Graham was in George's face. "I'll hex you into next week"

"Guys!"

They looked at her. "My dad just opened a club. We can go there. It's in Elgin"

"That's not far" said Cole.

Max suggested that the 7th years use apparition to get there since it was a small group. She told them the address. Fred grabbed her hand. A second later, they landed in an alley. It took a few minutes for the 7th years to get all of them. Stepping out, she saw her Dad's newest club.

"Your dad owns this place?" asked Roger, surprised.

"Yep. He just opened it two weeks ago. I completely forgot"

"Triple 7" said Lukas, reading the sign.

"For my birthday. July 7th at 7 AM"

A long line extended from the entrance. People kept getting turned away by the bouncers. Alicia brought up a problem. In the wizarding world, clubs were 17 and over because wizards got considered adults at that age. The muggle world saw things differently. Most clubs were 21 and over.

"Relax. My dad's club is 18 and over"

"Still doesn't help" said Adrian.

"My dad owns this place. I can get in whenever I want. Just follow me"

Two muscular bouncers were guarding the door. She went over to them. The taller of the two noticed her. He smiled.

"Evie, what are you doing here? You're far from home"

"I go to school nearby, Nate. We need a place to hang out. They're with me too" she said, nodding at the Hogwarts kids with her.

Nate opened the door. She stepped inside. The other kids looked around, amazed. Her father's clubs were very expensive and lavish. They followed her through the crowd. She recognized some people from seeing them at her dad's clubs in London and other England towns. Random people kept greeting her. Secretly, she waved her hand. A door appeared towards the back area. She opened the door, showing a room with a big-screen TV, couches, miniature kitchen, jacuzzi, and more. They placed their coats in the closet or on the couches. She put stamps on each of their hands. It was used to tell the bartenders that people were at least 21. Some kids already left, wanting to hang out in the club. Evani opened one of the cabinets in the kitchen. She was surprised to find it empty. Jumping on the counter, she double-checked the cabinet.

"Evie, are you okay?" asked Draco.

"My stash is gone"

"Your stash?"

"There's no way. No one's been in here yet except us"

"What is it?"

The door opened. A guy around 18 walked into the room. He had tousled caramel brown hair and hazel-green eyes. In his hand, he was holding a beer bottle and a tiny orange object. She got down from the counter and walked over to him.

"Hey E" he started.

Evani kicked his leg. He winced, dropping the object in his hand. It was a pill bottle. She picked it up.

"You broke into my stash, jerk"

"I was running empty" he said, having an American accent.

"How did you even get in? It's"

Her eyes widened in realization. "You're a wizard" she hissed, angrily.

The brunette chuckled nervously. "Evie, look"

"James, you said nothing. I even told you about me"

"You never asked"

"I'm going to beat you into a coma"

Draco went over to her. He looked James over with contempt. It was like having an actual protective older brother, unlike Jayce who would let her run off with a random creep.

"Is he bothering you?"

"No. James is cool. I need to talk to him but you go ahead"

"I'll get you a drink"

He left the room with Seth and Blaise. She made the door shut with magic. Her fists clenched. She was unsure of what she was feeling. At first, she felt anger. She had known James for almost ten years. Their fathers did business together. His family lived in Manhattan, being very wealthy. James was a partier like her, even skipping school to just hang out. Two years ago, she accidentally mentioned being a witch. He acted like it was this amazing gift and promised to keep it a secret. At the same time, she felt hurt. She could not believe that James kept this entire world from her. Considering he never showed signs of difficulty controlling magic, she figured that he was not muggleborn. She mentally cursed herself for not seeing it. Her friends at James's supposed private school claimed to never see him there. He brushed it off as always skipping classes and using his charm to maintain perfect grades. She realized that he must have actually attended a school like Merlin Academy.

"Evie, I wanted to tell you. When you mentioned it to me, it took a lot of restraint not to be honest"

"Why weren't you?"

"I did it to protect you. I didn't want you exposed to other wizards, especially with your magic. You're different. I kept waiting for you to get a Merlin Academy letter but you never did"

She crossed her arms.

"Don't be mad"

He grabbed her around the waist. Their noses touched. Looking into his eyes, she melted. It was hard to stay mad at James for long. They shared the ability to make people forgive them within seconds.

"You're lucky that you're cute"

"What are you even doing with those kids?"

"I go to Hogwarts"

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"Long story but Jayce screwed me over. So now I have to go there"

"Lame"

"So what are you? Are your parents"

"Halfblood. My mom's a witch, dad's the muggle"

They left the room together. James slid a wand from his pants pocket. He flicked it. The door vanished. She poked his chest.

"If you sneak into there again, I'll hurt you"

James pulled her over to a couch, sitting her on his lap. He kissed her neck, making her giggle. Draco and his friends walked over. For a second, she thought Draco looked upset. He gave her a glass of vodka cranberry. They sat on the couches.

"Your dad's place is awesome, Evie" said Adrian.

"I know"

She looked at James. "You owe me party favors"

From his pocket, he took out a bottle of pills. Evani smiled. "Score"

Opening the bottle, she poured out three orange pills.

"Evie, what are you doing?" asked Draco.

"Partying"

"You can't use those"

"Draco, relax. I've done it a million times"

"What do you do for fun?" asked James.

"You know…" he replied, awkwardly.

"No, not really"

Evani stifled a giggle. She popped the pills into her mouth and downed her shot. At the club, her time was spent with James and his friends. She noticed that the Hogwarts kids acted a bit prude. Some, mainly the girls, barely had any alcohol. They did not know how to really party. While James talked to some guy about a gig for his band, she spotted Draco sitting on a couch alone. He looked completely out of place. She went over to him, stumbling a bit. Having not partied in a while, she decided to drink more than usual. The shots were starting to get to her.

"Why are you alone?"

"The guys are hitting on some girls. Where's your friend?"

"He's trying to get a gig. He's cool, right?"

"That's one word" he said, drinking whiskey.

"You don't like him?"

"I didn't say that"

Evani sat beside him. She pouted.

"Aw, are you jealous?"

"N—No. Why would you—he's your friend. I get it"

Getting closer, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm happy you're here. We never got to hang out during the summer…and we had the fight"

"I don't like to think about that"

"Did you miss me?"

"Every day"

His hand caressed her side. She nuzzled his neck. It felt nice to be alone with Draco without worrying about her non-Slytherin friends freaking out. Harry made it hard to just have a little conversation. He still disapproved of their friendship. Draco acted the same when Harry was around. His hand moved down to her thigh. She giggled. As her eyes wandered, she spotted some men in their late 20s by the bar. One of them worked for Bass as head of the Ministry newspaper. His name was Jack Wiley. Through her hidden camera in Bass's office, Evani listened to Bass tell Wiley to print a story about her being a fugitive. She found the story. It painted her as some teen serial killer who was a danger to everyone. An insurmountable amount of rage filled her. She hated seeing him so cheerful and carefree.

"Evie"

Breaking her gaze from Wiley, she looked at Draco. "I asked if you wanted to dance"

"I need another drink first"

"Right now?"

"Yea. Do you want anything?"

"I'll go with you"

"No. It's stupid for us both to go. I'll be back. Go find the guys and I'll meet you"

She used a spell to find Wiley. He was in the restroom. She entered the mens' room, quietly. Wiley was checking his hair in the mirror. She shut the door, forming a plan in her head. He noticed her.

"Think you're in the wrong place"

"No. I am exactly where I want to be"

She walked over to him. "I was looking for you"

He smirked, smugly. "Yea? I'm"

"Jack Wiley"

"Now I feel bad. You know me but I don't know anything about you"

"Oh I think you do. Don't you recognize me?"

"I uh"

"Here, let me help. September 4th , front page of _The Chronicle_. You had my picture in an article where you called me the next dark wizard and how I deserve to be institutionalized"

As she spoke, his smug expression was replaced by one of fear. "I think you have the wrong person"

One of the lights above shattered. He covered his head from the broken pieces.

"You are just Bass's lapdog, aren't you?"

Wiley backed away from her. Inside, he was shaking like an earthquake. She read his mind. He was contemplating ways to escape.

"He's the Minister. If I don't listen to him, I lose my job"

"So let's throw all morality out the window"

"I have a family to support"

"And yet you're at a club, hitting on young girls"

"You brought this on yourself"

Her eyes narrowed. His voice was shaky.

"Everyone knows—that you don't mess with Bass. If you didn't defy him, you'd be at home with your parents and not hiding like some fugitive"

Evani could not control herself anymore. Electricity sparked from her fingertips. She clenched her fists, unable to stay calm. Her magic took over as her anger rose. Robbins slammed against the wall. She picked him up by his collar with one hand.

"Who do you think you are?! You trash me and then think you can tell me what's right? That I should just listen to that lunatic?!"

As she ranted, angrily quoting from his article, she banged his head against the tiled wall. Blood dripped down his face. He fell to the floor. She unleashed all of her frustrations on him, kicking him repeatedly in the stomach. He reached for his wand in his back pocket. It zoomed into her hand. She chucked it out the window. Breathing heavily, he tried to stand up. She kicked his face hard. He fell unconscious. Grabbing one of the glass shards from the broken light, she pressed it against his neck. It started to draw blood. Someone pulled her back. It was James. Evani struggled against him.

"Get off!"

"Evie, relax"

"Get off me!"

"He's passed out"

She glared harshly. James turned her towards him.

"Listen to me, Evie. You are going back to school right now. The other kids are leaving too"

"No. I want to stay here. That school is stupid!"

His grip on her tightened. "You are going back…and later, we'll talk about what's going on. I'll fix this place up"

"Whose side are you on, James?!"

"Yours. Evie, this isn't you. It's your magic talking. You need to control it"

After a minute, she calmed down. He took her out of the bathroom. Draco was waiting. He looked at Evani, concerned.

"Evie, are you okay?"

"She's just really drunk"

"Come on, we're going"

Putting his arm around her, he led her out of the club. They snuck back over to the alley. Adrian apparated them back to the castle. She leaned against Draco.

"Can I stay with you?"

"Of course. I think you had too much to drink"

He brought her down to the Slytherin common room. It was very different from the Gryffindor common room, being more ornate and extravagant. They went into his room. He gave her a bottled water. She took small sips.

"You can put on one of my shirts if you want"

Blaise and Seth entered the room.

"Daphne said to go to the hospital wing. Pansy's asking for you" said Blaise.

Draco sighed, frustrated. "I'll be right back, Evie. Just lay down on my bed, okay?"

He left the room. Blaise immediately fell asleep, too drunk to even change. She took off her dress and put on a shirt from Draco's drawer. Seth went over to her. All she could think about was that idiot Wiley. She wished that James had not stopped her. He deserved even worse than that beating. She found it hard to control her magic.

"Did something happen? You're oddly quiet"

"I don't want to talk about it"

After a few minutes, Draco returned. He glared slightly at Seth, who backed off. She laid down on Draco's bed. Seth was watching her. His eyes held this strange gleam. It made her uncomfortable. Draco took off his shirt, showing off his pecs. As he got down beside her, his arm slid around her waist, protectively. He looked at her, surprised.

"You're really warm"

"I've always been like that"

She fell asleep, starting to have nightmares about Bass…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I'd really appreciate feedback so I know how the story is going. :)**


	35. Chapter 35: Venting to Sirius

-Sunday night-Evani was hanging out in the common room, helping Harry and Ron with their homework. With their quidditch practice and Harry's detentions, they barely had any time for work. Hermione refused to help them. She claimed that they needed to do things for themselves. As they wrote the Astronomy essay on Jupiter's moons, Evani sat on Harry's lap, correcting his Transfiguration essay. Hermione was magically knitting socks. Last year, she started a campaign to free house-elves called SPEW. She decided to leave clothing under bits of trash so that the elves would be free while cleaning the common room. Evani was unsure if they really wanted that but the hats did actually disappear every night. As she read over the essay, her thoughts drifted to the day before. She spent hours hiding up in the Astronomy tower for privacy so she could talk to James. He questioned her about the incident at her father's club. She told him everything regarding her predicament with Bass. As she spoke, it just made him more concerned. It took a lot of pleading to stop him from going after Bass himself. James forced her to promise that she would not go out anymore. He did not want to risk her running into someone connected to Bass without him there to help. Though she protested, James argued that her mother had run-ins with Bass years ago. He knew just how dangerous the man could be, especially when he wanted something. It comforted Evani that she had friends like James to watch over her. A part of her still did not regret beating up Wiley. If James had not interfered, she knew it could have ended much worse. Draco kept asking her about what happened at the club but she kept it to herself. He would never understand what was going on in her life. Something poked her side. She looked at Harry.

"You alright?"

"Yea, just spaced out. Your essay's good. How's Astronomy going?"

"I wish this essay would write itself. I can't even focus anymore"

Hermione walked over. The four of them were the only ones left in the common room. Everyone else had headed up to bed. She covered her mouth, yawning.

"Almost done?"

Ron looked annoyed. "No"

"Ganymede is the biggest moon, not Callisto"

"Thanks" he said, tersely.

"And Io has"

"Hermione, if you're just here to criticize"

"Ron"

"Harry and I are up to our neck in"

"Look!"

She pointed towards the window. A screech owl was on the ledge. Ron opened the window, surprised. The owl, named Hermes, belonged to Percy. Evani wondered why Percy would write to him. Ginny told her that he cut off all contact to his family due to his estrangement. He did not want to associate with them at all. Evani got a bad feeling. She had seen Percy at Harry's trial. He did not seem like the most trustworthy person. She had a feeling that he wanted to turn his younger siblings like Ron against his parents. Hermes flew into the common room. There was a letter attached to its leg. Once Ron untied it, Hermes left.

Ron began to read the letter. It started with Percy congratulating Ron on becoming prefect. After that bit of praise, the letter took a turn for the worse with his "advice". Percy told Ron to basically dump Harry as a friend, calling him violent and unstable. He claimed that Dumbledore was close to being fired and Umbridge was someone to trust. With each word, Evani liked Percy less and less. It was like the Ministry brainwashed him. He kept idolizing the Ministry and even insulted his own parents. Towards the end, Percy mentioned some article in the Daily Prophet that would show things changing at Hogwarts. Ron was silent.

"Well if you want to"

Harry looked over the letter. "Sever ties with me? I swear I won't get violent"

Ron took it back, tearing into small pieces.

"He is the biggest git" he said, throwing the pieces into the fireplace.

"Come on, we still need to finish these"

"Oh give them here"

They looked at Hermione. "I'll correct them"

"Hermione, you're a life-saver. If I'm ever mean to you again" started Ron.

"I'll know you've gone back to normal"

She read through both of their essays. As Hermione helped Ron, Evani looked through her phone. She saw a few texts from James. Earlier today, he had gone into the Ministry under the pretense of seeing his mother. It was his way of spying on Bass since his mother worked in a similar position to Umbridge. He told her that Bass had been very on edge and had a meeting with Lucius Malfoy and a dark-haired man. James's mother claimed it was over business between the American and British Ministry. Evani found it very suspicious. When she questioned James over what he heard, knowing that he eavesdropped, he was oddly silent. She kept texting him, waiting for a reply.

"Harry, this is okay but I think you heard Sinistra wrong. Europa is covered in ice, not mice and"

Harry went over to the fireplace. She glanced up from her phone.

"Harry?" asked Evani, confused.

"I just saw Sirius's head in the fire"

"What?"

"Like you did during the tournament last year?" said Ron.

Harry nodded. Evani's eyes widened, seeing Sirius's head in the flames. She sat beside Harry. Ron and Hermione walked over.

"Sirius?"

"Here you are. I've been checking every hour. Thought you were already sleeping"

Hermione looked anxious. "What if you were seen?"

"I wasn't. I mean, I think a 1st year girl might've seen me but she'd think I was some weird-shaped log"

"Sirius, this is a terrible risk"

"You sound like Molly. It was the only way I could communicate with Harry after he sent his letter"

Evani had gone with Harry to the owlery yesterday morning. He wanted to send Sirius a letter about his scar hurting when Umbridge touched him during detention. Filch burst into the owlery, accusing Harry of sending dungbombs. It was a really strange accusation. Harry passed it off as a stupid prank by Draco to get him in trouble.

"You never told us that you wrote Sirius" said Hermione.

"I forgot. I didn't put anything bad in there"

Sirius smiled. "No, it was good. Let's get to it—your scar"

"What about your scar?" asked Ron, confused.

"We'll tell you later. Go on, Sirius"

He did not seem very concerned about the scar. Last year, Harry's scar hurt when Voldemort felt angry. He doubted that it had anything to do with Umbridge. Though she was a nasty woman, she was not a death eater. Evani doubted that the toad would refuse if Voldemort asked for her support. Sirius said that Lupin knew her through anti-werewolf legislation she drafted up years ago. As Sirius talked about Umbridge, Evani got distracted by her wrist burning. She looked down at her left wrist. There was a faint mark of a crescent moon. Doctors passed it off as an oddly-shaped birthmark. The mark had turned much darker, almost black. She was surprised, never seeing that happen before. Trying to alleviate the pain, she held her wrist. It reminded her of Harry when he clutched his scar. She wondered if it burned this bad for him.

Ron told Sirius about the foolish DADA classes now taught by Umbridge. Sirius claimed that it was due to Fudge, who did not want the kids trained in combat. Evani looked at him, weirdly. They just wanted to learn defensive spells, not incite a rebellion of the Ministry. Harry scoffed.

"Trained in—does he think we're forming some sort of wizard army?"

"That's exactly what he thinks or what he thinks Dumbledore's doing. Forming a private army to overthrow the Ministry"

"That's insane" she replied.

Hermione was furious. Evani never saw her so angry. If anything could tick off Hermione, it was messing with her education.

"So we're prevented from learning proper defense because Fudge thinks we'll use the spells against the Ministry?"

"Fudge is getting more paranoid by the day, Hermione. He thinks Dumbledore wants to seize his power"

Harry asked about Hagrid. Sirius mentioned that he should have returned by now but he and his friend, the headmistress at Beauxbatons, got detoured on their journey. He encouraged them to not ask questions or it would draw attention.

"When's your first Hogsmeade weekend? I was thinking I could use my dog disguise and"

"NO!" exclaimed Harry and Hermione.

"Sirius, didn't you see the Daily Prophet? Someone spotted you"

Sirius grinned, unfazed. "That was nothing. The Ministry's just guessing where I am"

"Lucius Malfoy recognized you and if Malfoy sees you in Hogsmeade, he could"

"I get the point"

There was a bitter tone to his voice. Evani felt awful. Sirius must hate being cooped up in his house. He just wanted to have fun. She understood the feeling, being forced to hide for most of the summer.

"I just don't want you chucked in Azkaban"

"You're less like your father than I thought"

Harry was taken aback.

"The risk would've made it fun for James"

"Sirius"

"I should go. I hear Kreacher coming"

He vanished from the flames. The room was silent. Hermione suggested that they go to bed. It was already half past midnight. Harry and Ron grabbed their books and headed up the staircase. Evani grabbed her phone from the couch.

"Want to talk?"

She turned to the fireplace. Sirius was in the flames again. She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. If Sirius wanted to talk to her alone, something was wrong. She shook her head.

"Nope"

"Well you are, especially after your little beat down at your father's club"

"How did you—are you spying on me?"

"No. Dumbledore knows that the older kids sneak out and was the one to tell the owners not to let Hogwarts students into Howler"

"Really cool" she said, sarcastically.

"You found a way around it though. He asked Bill to watch over you since he's younger. He saw you with Draco"

"I don't care what you think. He's not a bad person"

"I can't control who you hang out with, Evie. Bill noticed you following someone into the bathroom and saw you beating him. He was about to stop you before your friend showed up"

Evani thought about the reactions of the Order. They had been furious when she entered the _Wizard Battle _tournament secretly. She was sure that Bill mentioned it to Dumbledore. He would watch her like a hawk now. Even worse, he might use a spell to keep her inside the castle at all times except for classes.

"So now I'm going to be on full lockdown, aren't I?"

"No. Bill and I are keeping it between us. Were you just really drunk?"

"No. That jerk Wiley wrote about me in the"

"I saw the article"

For some reason, he chuckled. She found nothing funny about Wiley's article. If anyone found out that she was at Hogwarts, they would believe a newspaper over her. He made her seem like some monster.

"The next Voldemort…well you are much better looking" he teased.

Tears filled her eyes. He looked concerned.

"Evie"

"It's not funny"

"You have to laugh it off"

"I can't. I never did anything to these people. They don't even know me. Bass tried to kill me and he's painted as some hero while I'm the real victim and"

"I know what that's like. I'm still going through it. But you can't hurt people like that. If your friend didn't stop you, I'm damn sure you would've killed him"

"He deserved it"

Her fists clenched. She felt her anger rising.

"You didn't hear what he said to me. He knew it was a lie, Sirius"

Sirius was silent.

"He said that it didn't matter what was right or wrong…that I should just follow Bass"

"Look, I've known Bass since I was a teenager. He's manipulative and thinks he can do anything without consequence. That entire Ministry is wrapped around his finger. We'll help you through this. Evie, you can't let your magic control you, especially with your power"

She nodded. "Just hang in there. If you ever feel angry, go to Harry"

"I will"

"I'll talk to you soon"

He vanished from the fireplace. Evani went upstairs, not feeling any better…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Review! :)**


	36. Chapter 36: Dreams and Nightmares

-The next day-As the sun began to peek through the curtains, Evani had a strange dream.

~_Evani found herself in the Forbidden Forest. She was wearing her Hogwarts uniform. Shadow ran past her. _

_"Shadow, get back here" _

_Evani chased after the small wolf. After a few minutes, Shadow vanished in the darkness. An enormous rock wall, covered in grime, blocked her path. There was a symbol of a crescent moon etched into the rock. It looked similar to her birthmark. Almost like instinct, Evani placed her wrist against the wall. Her wrist began to burn. More symbols appeared along the wall, resembling runes from her Ancient runes book. She translated each one, forming a phrase. _

_"Only the chosen can control the fire" _

_The wall separated, showing an overgrown bit of forest. In the distance, she could see a large cave. Loud shrieks emitted from it~_

Evani sat up, breathing heavily. To her surprise, she was in front of the Forbidden Forest. She had no idea how she ended up here. The birthmark on her wrist burned. She looked into the forest, feeling this strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Evie?"

Lukas rushed over to her. "Why are you out here?"

She heard soft whispers. It was like something called to her. She wanted to go into the forest. That dream felt extremely real.

"Evie"

Breaking from her thoughts, she turned to Lukas. He looked concerned.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. I uh went out for a run"

"You went for a run"

"Yea"

"In your socks…"

She glanced down to see that her shoes were missing. Did she really sleepwalk down here in the middle of the night? Evani tried to figure out a believable story.

"I took them off to just rest"

"And where are they now?"

"Well I was just going to use magic to change into my uniform. What time is it?"

"8:30. Breakfast is almost over"

"Then I should get there"

He grabbed her hand, helping her up. She could tell that he did not believe her at all. Lukas was too damn smart. She mentally cursed herself for not thinking up a better lie. Pretending to wave her wand, she changed into the uniform. Her bag appeared beside her, filled with her books for class. A small jar containing a thin green plant was in his hand.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, fluxweed. I'm helping Pomfrey make a healing potion. She thinks it'll help Pansy Parkinson"

"That's good" she said, feigning relief.

"All the teachers are stumped. If she doesn't get better soon, she'll go to St. Mungo's"

"Probably for the best"

"Yea but I'm worried about Dumbledore"

"Why? It has nothing to do with him"

"That's not how Umbridge will see it. Max's dad is one of the school governors. Her dad is too and he wants Dumbledore punished for lax security"

"I didn't think he'd get in trouble"

Absentmindedly, she began wringing her hands. She never thought that Dumbledore would be blamed for Pansy's accident. Draco always mentioned how most Slytherins had parents in high Ministry positions. She had a feeling Pansy's parents would side with the Ministry when it came to Dumbledore. They would want to discredit him in any way. If Pansy did go to St. Mungo's for treatment, the _Daily Prophet_ could come up with all kinds of stories.

"Don't worry about it. Pomfrey can fix anyone"

They went back into the castle. Lukas was going to the hospital wing. Evani offered to help him with the potion. He refused, not wanting her to see Pansy's current state. She kept trying to persuade him. He simply shook his head, telling her to get breakfast. She watched him go up the staircase. Evani entered the Great Hall, getting lost in her own thoughts. Something tugged on her arm. It was Harry. He forced her to sit down at the Gryffindor table.

"Evie, where have you been?"

"I went for a run"

"You have to see this"

Hermione showed her the front page of the Daily Prophet. There was a large photo of Umbridge giving her toad-like smile. The headline read '_Ministry seeks educational reform: Dolores Umbridge appointed first ever High Inquisitor_'.

"What's a High Inquisitor?"

"It means she can inspect the teachers and decide if they're suitable" said Hermione.

Evani scoffed. "Is this a joke?"

"No. Fudge gave her the position through some educational decree. It stated that if Dumbledore couldn't find a suitable teacher, the Ministry appoints one"

"So that's how she got the job"

Hermione nodded. "She could fire teachers"

"I bet they'll focus on getting rid of anyone close to Dumbledore"

For some reason, Ron smiled. "Well I can't wait until she inspects McGonagall. She'll tear Umbridge to shreds"

As they discussed the implications of Umbridge's new position, Evani flipped through the newspaper. Most of the articles were useless and boring. Harry poured a glass of orange juice.

"Any snide comments about me in there?"

"No. Just a load of"

She stopped, seeing something under the politics section.

"Evie?"

There was an article about Bass in the Daily Prophet. It talked about him attempting to pass new laws. One would require that if there was a wizarding school in a country, anyone born there had mandatory attendance. It meant that any American wizards had to go to Merlin Academy. He was bringing it up to the International Confederation of Wizards, which she assumed to be similar to the United Nations. Harry, Ron, and Hermione scanned the article.

"Foul git. If I could, I'd take my wand and shove it up his—well, you get the idea" said Ron.

"Boosting national wizard pride? It will just create more discord. It goes against everything Dumbledore told us at the end of last year about unity" Hermione said, disgusted.

She gave Evani a reassuring look. "This won't happen until the conference in mid-January. I'm sure it won't pass, Evie"

"He'll pay them off. He's as corrupt as Fudge, even worse"

Harry put his hand over hers. "It'll be okay, Evie"

"How is this okay?"

"I know it's"

"No, stop saying you know"

They were taken aback by her harsh tone. Her fists clenched, crumpling the newspaper. The plates in front of her began to shake violently. Harry's glass cracked, causing the juice to spill. She heard a few kids whispering.

"Evie, kids are staring"

"You don't know. You'll never understand so stop pretending that you do"

"The confederation will never pass this. It's completely ridiculous"

"So? He'll just come up with something else. It'll never stop"

"As long as you're at Hogwarts"

"The only way he'll ever stop is if I'm dead"

"Don't talk like that" he replied, panicked.

The newspaper disintegrated into ash. Evani grabbed her bag, leaving the Great Hall. As she headed up the staircase, she started to calm down. She regretted being rude to Harry,Ron, and Hermione. This whole situation with Bass made her angry. She just wanted her life to be back to normal. As the bell rang, she sat in the history classroom. She rested her head against the desk. Millions of thoughts raced through her mind. Would this International Confederation agree with Bass? What kind of twisted logic could he use to persuade them?

"Evie?"

Hermione was standing by the desk. She took her seat.

"Sorry"

"Don't apologize"

"I was rude"

"It wasn't your fault. Besides, you were right"

"What?"

"We've been acting like we understand what happened to you but we don't. Only you do. None of us were there that night Bass kidnapped you, when his aurors attacked you near Harry's home…he caused you to be thrust into this entire world"

Evani was silent. Hermione made a good point. Everyone at Hogwarts was not just thrown into the wizarding world. The muggleborns would be shocked at first but they had help to adjust. Evani herself learned about wizards and went on the run in one single night. From her bag, Hermione took out a newspaper.

"I'm not analyzing that trash with you"

"It's not the _Daily Prophet. _It's _The Chronicle_. My subscription comes with a free copy of it"

"What's that?"

"Evie, stop playing dumb. I read the article about you. I'm certain that's why you were so upset when you went out to Howler"

"How did you"

"Malfoy talked to me"

She looked at Hermione, surprised. Draco pretty much hated Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Evani knew about all of his insults towards them, especially calling Hermione a mudblood.

"What?"

"It was the morning after. I was in the library and he walked over to me, saying if it wasn't about you, he would never speak to me. He said that he was worried about you…that you seemed very upset that night. He noticed you watching a man at the bar and how it made you uncomfortable. He thought the man had harmed you in some way and that you may have told me since we're close. I llied that you were just homesick and the man reminded you of your father"

"It was the jerk who wrote the article. Sirius said to just laugh it off but I can't. If anyone is like Voldemort"

Hermione tensed up, hearing his name.

"It's Bass, not me"

"Evie, I know that. This is what Bass wants. He wants you to feel vulnerable and alone. He's not going to win"

"My friend James said he saw Draco's dad and some other man in a meeting with Bass"

"For what?" she asked, curiously.

_"_No idea. James has stopped talking to me. I keep texting him but…

"Let's not worry about it"

Hermione hugged her. Evan could not shake the feeling that James was hiding some dark secret. If he lied about being a wizard to protect her, he might be doing the same now.

"Ugh, get a room, mudbloods"

Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey entered the classroom with other kids. Evani glared.

"Aw, did we break up your little girl moment? Were you going to kiss?" teased Millicent.

"Figured you liked girls, Granger. No guy would want you" said Tracey.

Secretly, Evani crinkled her nose. The floor rose up, making them fall over. Kids laughed hysterically. The three Slytherins threw Evani a nasty glare and walked over to their desks.

"Not going to say that was wrong?"

"I saw nothing" said Hermione, looking ahead.

There was a small smile on her face. Binns floated through the chalkboard. History was spent listening to some battles of the giant wars. Ten minutes before the bell rang, Binns vanished.

"I hope he finished our essays"

"How does he grade if he's a ghost?" asked Evani.

"He has an assistant, usually a past Hogwarts student who is interested in a career in history. Their office is through that back door and they'll sit in the back of the class. The old assistant left last year. I haven't seen the new one yet"

The back door opened. A guy around 20, with wavy dirtyblonde hair and lime green eyes, entered the classroom, carrying a folder. Practically every girl stared at him with dreamy expressions.

"Hey guys. Sorry I wasn't here for your first class. I am Reese Hall, the new history assistant and quidditch assistant, meaning I'll be looking over the quidditch practices for every house. I'll be available to help with essays or exams whenever you need it" he said, having an American accent.

"Like private tutoring?" asked Tracey.

"Yes"

"I so need that"

Evani rolled her eyes. "So just come up here and I'll hand back your essays on giant wars. If you have a 'see me', it means see me to discuss your paper. I'll offer a chance for you to re-write a new one to get a better grade"

"Fat chance. Once was bad enough" whispered Seamus.

Girls rushed over to the desk. They were a little pathetic. She hung towards the back with Hermione. Lavender giggled as she took her paper from Reese.

"Oh, honestly" hissed Hermione, shaking her head.

Evani was the last to get her essay. Reese grabbed the paper from his folder.

"So you must be Evani…Rybek"

He glanced up at her. She smiled.

"That's me"

Reese was staring at her. He had this strange gleam in his eyes. Evani waved her hand in front of his face.

"Can I have my paper?"

"Oh uh right"

He handed her essay back. "Thanks"

There was an O written at the top. Hogwarts had a much different grading system. According to Hermione, an O would be the equivalent of an A in the muggle world.

"I'm Reese"

"I know. You told everyone your name"

"Did I?"

She stifled a giggle. "Bye, Reese"

Evani went down to the dungeons for potions. Snape entered the classroom, causing everyone to get quiet. He handed back their moonstone essays. Evani was happy to see another O. She worried a bit, considering she and Snape got to a bad start on the first day of classes. A lot of kids had glum expressions. The Slytherins all looked pleased.

"How did you do, Harry?"

"Great"

He stuffed his paper into his bag.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better"

Snape addressed the class. "'I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your OWL. This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in the examination. The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get a D"

"Some idiots got Ds?" she heard someone whisper.

Draco, Blaise, Seth, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered. She noticed Harry blush. He kept his eyes on the desk.

"Harry, did you"

"I didn't spend a lot of time on it"

"Why didn't you let me help?"

Evani felt terrible that he got a failing grade.

"I didn't want to bother you"

"Well I'll definitely help with the next one"

Snape set up instructions for a strengthening solution. They spent the entire class period working on the potion. Evani found it incredibly easy. By the end of class, her potion was a clear turquoise. She poured some in a vial and placed it on Snape's desk. Unlike last week, Harry's potion came out slightly better. They left the dungeons with Ron and Hermione.

"At least it was close to the right color" she said, encouragingly.

"Snape will still fail me"

"He will not. Otherwise, he is totally biased" replied Evani.

"I already know he is"

As they sat at the Gryffindor table, she could tell Hermione wanted to discuss the essays. Ron and Harry seemed less tempted. Evani put some fruit into a bowl. Serena, Ginny, Colin, and Keith sat down.

"You look tired"

"We just had Herbology. I almost got attacked by those bubotubers" said Colin.

She used a napkin to wipe dirt from his cheek. He blushed.

"Thanks, Evie"

"How was Potions?"

"Fun"

Ginny shook her head. "You're not normal"

"It's like chemistry. I love it"

"If only you were a Slytherin, Evie. Snape would probably be in love with you" said Serena.

Evani scrunched her nose in disgust. Serena and Ginny made kissy faces.

"Bet on the first date, he'd take out a cauldron"

Keith imitated Snape's voice. "Let me make you some veritaserum, my little potion ingredient"

They burst into fits of laughter. Hermione was still talking about the essay. Ginny warned her that this would happen a lot during the year.

"Of course, I didn't expect the top grade but a pass is quite encouraging, isn't it?"

Ron's hand shook as he grabbed pieces of chicken.

"A lot can happen between now and exams. We can still improve and this can serve as a baseline. I mean, if I got an O…"

"Hermione, if you want to know what we got, just ask"

"I don't—if you want to"

"I got a P"

"Nothing to be ashamed of"

Fred, George, and Lee walked over. Fred sat between Evani and Harry.

"Nothing wrong with a good, healthy P"

"But doesn't P stand for"

"Poor, yea. Still better than D…dreadful" said Lee.

Harry dropped his fork and disappeared under the table. For some reason, Hermione started to go through the grading system. Fred and George joked that they deserved an E in everything because they just showed up to class. Evani giggled.

"Then A for acceptable, which is the last pass grade. Then P for poor"

Ron waved his arms in mock celebration. "And D for dreadful"

"Don't forget T" said George.

"T?"

"For troll"

Fred put his arm around Evani's shoulders. He took a few grapes from her bowl.

"So Miss Texas, how was your essay?"

"It was okay"

"Come on, Evie, you said you'd freak out if you got less than perfect in muggle school. So you must've…"

She avoided eye contact. Hermione gaped at her in disbelief.

"You got an O?"

"Yea"

"Has our top student been dethroned?" asked George, looking at Hermione.

Evani chucked a bread roll at him. "Stop it. It was one essay"

"No one gets an O on his papers, Evie…except Slytherins. I think you're literally the first" said Serena.

Once the bell rang, she got up, following Ron and Harry to Divinations. The three of them went up to the North Tower…

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to update. I was back at school this week so it was hard to find time with all my classes. Thanks for reading! :)**


	37. Chapter 37: Helping Pansy

The three of them went up to the North Tower. There was a wooden ladder, extending into a trapdoor. Evani climbed the ladder. The Divinations classroom was much different from any other. It had a more ethereal atmosphere. Crystal balls rested in the center of each small table. A heavy perfume smell permeated the room. She sat with Ron and Harry, taking out her Divinations book and dream diary. Harry and Ron had not taken the diary seriously, making up all kinds of random dreams. They claimed that Trelawney could make buying shoes seem like an omen of death.

"Prepare to be bored"

"I think it'll be fun"

Ron felt her forehead. "You're seriously mental"

She playfully glared. Trelawney, an eccentric-looking woman, entered the room from her office. Evani got distracted by the trapdoor opening. Umbridge emerged, holding a clipboard. She must be inspecting the lesson. It did make Evani a little nervous. Trelawney was not exactly teacher of the year at Hogwarts. Most students and even some professors saw her as a fraud. She was sure that Umbridge held the same view. Trelawney noticed her presence. Umbridge gave her that sickening smile.

"Good afternoon, Professor Trelawney. You received my note, I trust? About the time and date of your inspection?"

Silently, Trelawney nodded. Umbridge sat in an armchair next to Trelawney's own chair, writing on the clipboard.

"We shall continue our study of prophetic dreams today. Divide into small groups, please, and interpret each other's latest night-time visions with the aid of the _Oracle_"

She headed over to Parvati and Lavender, who both adored the class. The three of them got into a heavy discussion about their dreams. Harry was watching Umbridge closely. She started to walk around the room, scribbling notes and asking students various questions.

"Give us a dream, Evie"

"Why me?" she asked Ron.

"Cause I gave one last time and Harry's busy"

"Okay. I dreamed I was in running in a forest"

Ron opened his _Dream Oracle_ book. He flipped through the pages. She told him the subject would be forest. Harry continued to watch Umbridge like a hawk. Evani pinched Harry's arm.

"Ow" he whispered.

"Pay attention"

"I'm trying to listen"

"She's just observing Trelawney. Teachers go through evaluations all the time"

"Umbridge is different"

"When did you dream it, Evie?" asked Ron.

"Last night"

Ron wrote on a piece of paper. He was following the instructions in the book. As he added up her age, the date of the dream, and number of letters in the subject, she noticed Umbridge and Trelawney getting closer. Ron told her that it meant she was going through a transitional phase and needed to follow her instincts. She nodded, glancing at the text. He looked surprised that he got it right. They got distracted by Umbridge interrogating Trelawney. She asked standard questions like how long Trelawney had been teaching at Hogwarts.

"Hmm. If you could just predict something for me"

Trelawney turned to Umbridge. She looked affronted by the suggestion. "I'm sorry?"

"I'd like you to make a prediction for me"

"The Inner Eye does not see upon command!"

Umbridge feigned sympathy, giving a small pout. "Pity"

Evani found it incredibly rude. Visions could not be seen by force. From firsthand experience, she knew they were random. At a young age, she would get visions at inconvenient times. A seer could not control that. Parvati and Lavender watched their exchange with concerned expressions.

"Professor, you can't just ask that"

"Evie, I'm going to be Hermione for a second. Say nothing" whispered Ron.

Evani ignored him. Umbridge looked at her.

"Did you say something, dear?"

"Visions can't just be brought up. They're random occurrences. You can't judge her performance based on the lack of a prediction when you spring the question on her"

Trelawney looked grateful for Evani's defense. The other kids were silent. Umbridge simply ignored her, writing on her clipboard.

"Again, I'll ask for a prediction"

"Wait, wait! I see…I see you in grave danger. You will encounter a great peril in the future"

"If that's the best you can do…"

Suddenly, Evani's sight became hazy. She found herself having her own vision. Under the table, she drew on a blank page of her book. The random images started forming scenes. She saw flashes of a dark rocky area. The walls were covered with crude drawings and strange symbols. She heard screeching sounds. As she continued down the path, she saw another bare wall. Before she could break it, she was thrust from her vision. A paper ball landed in front of her. Ron and Harry looked worried.

"Evie, what's wrong? You went all rigid"

"I just—spaced out"

"Are you sure?"

"It was nothing, Harry" she lied.

Trelawney walked over to their table, seeming very bitter. "Well? Let me see what you've written"

She took Harry's dream diary and interpreted his dreams loudly. Somehow, each one foretold tragedy and death. He looked exasperated, losing any sympathy he felt for her. Apparently, Trelawney predicted his demise every year. She could see how it got annoying. Once the bell rang, kids practically bolted from the room.

"I'll meet you in class. I want to ask Trelawney something"

Harry and Ron left the room, descending down the ladder. Evani glanced at her book. There was a drawing of a cave surrounded by barren trees. It reminded her of her dream from this morning. She needed to find this place.

"You have the gift, my dear" Trelawney was beside her.

"Sorry?"

"The gift of second sight"

"Oh. Yea, I—see things. More than I'd like to"

"Don't see it as a burden"

Evani put her book into her bag. "I don't think you're a fraud, professor. Umbridge just wants to discredit anyone she sees as different"

With a smile, she left the classroom and went to DADA. Umbridge was already standing by her desk. Evani sat beside Hermione. She took out the childish defense book. Both she and Hermione had read the book in its entirety. Hermione found the text absurd. It was like magic for dummies. They discussed different parts of the book. Umbridge got them all to quiet down.

"Wands away, children"

Some kids let out small groans. No one expected to be stuck reading for another class period. Sirius was not kidding when he said the Ministry wanted to prevent them from learning magic. Would they really just read the entire time?

"I would like you to turn to page 19 today and commence with Chapter 2 '_Common Defensive Theories and their Derivation_'. There is no need to talk"

Evani left her book untouched. Both she and Hermione raised their hands. Umbridge walked over to their desk.

"What is it this time, girls?" she whispered, trying not to draw attention.

"We already read chapter 2"

"Then proceed to chapter 3"

"We read the entire book" said Evani.

She looked slightly surprised. "Oh? Then you can tell me what Slinkhard says about jinxes in chapter 15"

"He says counter-jinxes are improperly named. He says it's a name that's given to jinxes to make them sound more acceptable" replied Hermione.

Umbridge remained silent. She thought the two of them were bluffing. No one in the class bothered to read. Instead, they watched the exchange between Umbridge, Evani, and Hermione.

"But Hermione and I disagree with that"

Her expression turned slightly colder. "You disagree?"

"Yea, we think he's wrong"

"Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes…but I think they're useful if used defensively" explained Hermione.

Umbridge was no longer carefully whispering. "Well it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, not yours, that matters, Miss Granger"

"But professor"

"Enough" interrupted Umbridge, cutting off Evani.

"Five points from Gryffindor"

Her eyes widened. What did they do wrong?

"For what?" asked Harry, angrily.

"For disrupting the class with pointless interruptions"

"Pointless interruptions?" repeated Evani, incredulously.

"I am here to teach a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little"

Evani raised her hand. Umbridge did not acknowledge her. It annoyed Evani that Umbridge did not care about their opinions. They deserved to be heard.

"So we can't say what we think of the text?"

"Miss Rybek"

"We're just supposed to blindly believe whatever he writes? Whatever the Ministry says is the truth, right?"

Evani definitely hit a nerve. She mentally cursed herself for letting that slip out. Instead of DADA, she needed a course on keeping thoughts in a person's head. Umbridge never looked so ferocious. Hermione kicked her leg under the desk. It was hard for her to keep quiet. Hermione poked her wand into Evani's leg to control her. Evani wanted so badly to tell Umbridge off for her stupidity.

"Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them—with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects, would have passed a Ministry inspection…"

"Yea, Quirrell was great. He just had the little problem of Voldemort sticking out the back of his head" replied Harry, loudly.

The entire room was silent. "Another week's detention, Mister Potter"

Harry glared harshly. Umbridge turned around, heading back to her desk. After class, Evani went over to Draco. He shook his head at her.

"I think we need to get you a muzzle for this class"

"Funny. So um how's Pansy? Any better?"

"No. Pomfrey tried a few potions"

"Didn't work a bit" said Blaise.

She bit her lip lightly. "Are you okay?"

"I just—feel like it's my fault"

Evani expressed remorse about agreeing to the duel. She told them that if she and Pansy never went to the quidditch pitch, Pansy would be fine. Tears brimmed her eyes. Draco and the other guys looked concerned. Seth shook his head.

"Hey, it's not your fault"

"Not at all. Pansy was the one to start it, Evie. I kept telling her to just let it go" said Draco.

"You didn't hex her" said Goyle.

Draco wiped away a small tear on her cheek. "Please don't cry. No one blames you"

"I was thinking…maybe I could fix her. It's just a little something. I've never tried it before but it should help"

"Are you sure?"

"Doesn't hurt to try"

"We can go now"

"No"

She tried to come up with an excuse. "If we all go, it looks suspicious. I'll go myself at like 10 when kids are getting up to bed"

"Okay. If that's what you" he started.

"Great. By tomorrow morning, she'll be all better. Pinky promise"

Around 10, she went up to the hospital wing. Pansy was sleeping in a bed closest to Pomfrey's office. Evani walked over to the bed. Pansy's wrists had been bandaged heavily. The bandages showed some blood stains. Every now and then, Pansy twitched in her sleep, attempting to move her hands to her throat. Restraints kept her arms pinned down. Evani looked her over with contempt.

"You think you're so innocent, Pansy, but you do deserve this. If this couldn't cause Dumbledore to be fired, I'd leave you to rot" she hissed.

She heard a door open. Quickly, she turned around. She saw Draco, Seth, and Blaise entering the hospital wing.

"What are you"

"Relax. Crabbe and Goyle are guarding the stairs. They'll warn us if a teacher is coming" said Blaise.

"Why are you here?"

"Because if Filch catches you out of bed, you'll get detention. If I'm here, I can just say that you felt sick and I took you here because I'm prefect" explained Draco.

"Draco, I don't need"

"I don't want you to get in trouble"

She feigned an appreciative smile. Inside, she was beating herself up for not locking the door. She should have known they would follow her up to the hospital wing.

"You two stay by the door"

Blaise and Seth nodded. Draco went over to the bed. He glanced at Pansy's bandaged wrists.

"When I find out who did this, I'll hex them just as bad"

Evani looked at him, surprised. "I didn't think you cared that much about her"

"We've been friends since diapers. She can be a bit annoying but we're still close"

Crinkling her nose, she made a glass of water on the table fall to the ground. Draco took out his wand. While he was distracted, she pressed her hand against Pansy's forehead. Her fingertips glowed for a few seconds.

"Reparo" he said.

The glass repaired itself, resting on the table. Evani quickly moved her hand. She pretended to search her bag.

"So where did you learn this spell?"

"It's not a spell. I read about this treatment in a random book while I was with Hermione at the library"

From her bag, she took out a pouch. It was filled with glowing pink dirt. The dirt had no real magical properties. She grabbed it from a spot by the lake and enchanted it to have that strange glow. Reaching into the pouch, she took out a handful of dirt. Draco looked at it, curiously.

"Powder from a ground-up bergamot plant. It helps clear the mind" she explained.

"Why wouldn't Pomfrey think of that?"

"Well it's an old treatment from like the Middle Ages. It's not common in these times"

She placed the dirt on Pansy's forehead, making random symbols. Draco seemed to believe it. It was easy to fool him, considering he was not a bookworm like Hermione. The dirt slowly vanished.

"That's it?"

"It takes a while to work but it should repair any of the damage and drive out that weird hex. Hopefully, she's good by tomorrow morning"

"You're sure, Evie?"

"Positive. She might get a bit sick though cause her brain will be all jumbled. I'd have a bucket ready"

Draco hugged her. It caught her off guard.

"Thanks for this"

"It was nothing"

"Don't say that. I know you and Pansy dislike eachother, but you still helped. You're a good person"

Draco decided to stay a while to check on Pansy. Evani left the hospital wing. Blaise and Seth were leaning against the wall, bored.

"You're done?"

"Yea. I'm going back to my common room"

"I'll walk you back"

"I'm fine, Seth"

"My mom always taught me good manners. It would be rude to let you go alone"

Evani walked back to the Gryffindor common room with Seth. Neither of them said anything. Sometimes, she got this strange feeling about Seth. She did not trust him too much, knowing how he treated Serena and his actions at Adrian's party. They walked along the 7th floor.

"I'm surprised that you helped Pansy"

"Why?"

"Just thought you'd like that she was stuck in there"

"I felt bad. I don't hate Pansy"

After a few minutes, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. He circled her. She kept her guard up, facing him at all times. He chuckled.

"What are you doing?"

"My dad said to never turn your back on someone"

Seth stepped closer to her. She moved her hand behind her back, ready to get her wand if necessary.

"I can't figure you out"

"What does that mean?"

"I just think it's convenient that you knew how to fix Pansy up so easily"

"It's called reading. Maybe if you tried opening a book instead of a girl's legs, you'd learn something"

"I'm sure you'd love if I opened yours" he whispered.

She looked at him, disgusted. He smirked.

"Have a nice night, Evie"

She watched him go down the staircase. Turning to the portrait, she gave the password. The portrait swung open. She headed up to her room, feeling creeped out…

* * *

**A/N: So like I said a few chapters back, when Pansy and Evani had their duel, I wanted to make it unclear if Evani played a role. I did the same thing in this chapter. Evani never showed any real remorse or concern for Pansy with what happened. She only wanted to help because she wanted to keep Dumbledore from being blamed. In the hospital wing, she pretty much says that Pansy deserved it. She does a lot of "acting" in this chapter around Draco and his friends. I wanted to put in little instances like that to raise the idea that Evani did actually hurt her. There's the events like Evani so easily figuring out how to heal Pansy, as Seth pointed out, and not wanting anyone else in the hospital wing with her. It's still ambiguous on how the accident exactly happened. In one way, you could see how Evani could have easily hexed Pansy since they were alone on the pitch that night. On the other hand, there was that supposed figure hiding at the start of their duel. I'm not going to keep it uncertain forever. I have a definite plan in my head for what happened to Pansy, which will affect a large part of the story. **

**I'd really appreciate feedback. Thanks for reading.  
**


	38. Chapter 38: The Truth Comes Out

-The next day- Evani was walking towards the Slytherin common room with Ginny. They decided to meet Serena there before breakfast. Shivering, Ginny hugged her cardigan closer to her.

"Evie, we can't even get in"

"I know the password from Draco"

"Let me guess…kill all muggles?"

She stifled a laugh. "No. It's purity"

"What a shock" she replied, sarcastically.

They stopped at a bare concrete wall near the end of the corridor. Evani gave the password. The wall slid open, revealing a passageway. Together, they walked through the passageway, entering the common room. The archaic room extended partly into the lake, allowing the windows to show the interior of the lake and its creatures. The giant squid passed by the window. Evani smiled, waving. One of its tentacles moved in a waving motion.

"What are you doing down here, Weaslette?"

Draco, Blaise, and Seth walked down the staircase. Ginny glared at them.

"Waiting for Serena, ferret"

"Who let you in here?"

Evani went over to them. Immediately, Draco's demeanor changed. He looked like a kid who got caught stealing from the cookie jar.

"Hey Evie" he said, his tone becoming much nicer.

"Hey. You weren't being mean to Ginny, were you?"

Draco chuckled weakly. "No, of course not"

"Okay, I know most Slytherins have little intelligence so I'll walk you through this one. She was only a foot away. She heard everything, genius"

He glared at Ginny. Evani grabbed hold of his arm and gave a warning look to Seth and Blaise. If either of them hurt Ginny, it would end badly for them. She pulled Draco aside, crossing her arms over her chest. He stared at the floor.

"What did you promise me?"

"That I would be nicer to—it's hard for me"

"Draco, let's remember something. The last time you were rude to a friend of mine, I stopped talking to you. Do we want to go through that again?"

"No"

His fingers hooked into the chain of her necklace, pulling her closer. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"Since you're here, why don't we go to Hogsmeade for breakfast? It'll be just the two of us"

She smiled. Before she could say anything, she heard a loud scream followed by raucous ran downstairs, covered in feathers. She looked like a chicken. Evani noticed kids at the top of stairs, taking pictures. They were probably going to send them to _Oracle _to further Serena's embarrassment. Seth and Blaise sniggered. She looked at Draco.

"Evie, I didn't…I swear, I had no idea. It must have been Seth"

Seth was teasing his younger sister. He kept making lame jokes. Serena tried to pull off the feathers. None of them would budge. She waved her wand, having no effect.

"Sticking charm. It won't be that easy"

Evani took out her wand. Flicking it, she made the feathers disappear.

"It's pathetic that you don't know the counter-spell. What kind of witch are you?" he said to Serena, harshly.

Evani got in his face. "The only pathetic one here is you"

"Better watch your mouth, Evie"

"Or what?"

Draco grabbed onto her arm. He tried to pull her back, telling her not to fight. There was a lot of tension in the common room. She shrugged Draco off, pointing her wand at Seth's throat.

"Evie, don't"

"Yea, listen to Draco. You have no idea who you're messing with"

"Obviously, a chicken"

Suddenly, Seth disappeared, leaving just his clothes. A black baby chick emerged from his shirt. Evani suppressed a smirk. She levitated the chick to the top of the fireplace.

"Let's see you get out of this one, oh great wizard"

Evani left the common room with Serena and Ginny. Ginny laughed about her payback. She doubted the Slytherins would be able to fix him. Serena, on the other hand, looked anxious. She stopped in front of the dungeons entrance.

"Evie, y—you should change him back"

"Fat chance. He deserved it, Serena. Look at what he did to you"

"Y—you can't do that to Seth"

"If he threatens you, I'll just hex him again"

"You don't understand. He'll tell my dad and—my dad isn't someone to mess with"

Evani just giggled. She was not afraid of anyone. If Seth went whining to his father, it would make him even more pathetic. She doubted that his father would attack her for a little prank. Serena seemed to think different. As they sat at the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked over.

"Here you are" said Harry.

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yea. I wanted to"

"Potter!"

Angelina stormed over, looking livid. If looks could kill, Harry would be reduced to ashes. Evani watched as the normally friendly Angelina started yelling at him. It caught a lot of people's attention. Harry was just silent, unable to defend himself. McGonagall interrupted the commotion. She was furious to hear that Harry got another detention with Umbridge. When he received his first one, she warned him to control his temper. Evani wanted to tell McGonagall exactly what happened. Umbridge had pushed him a bit with her attitude in the classroom. Harry was being treated unfairly.

"Potter, you need to get a grip on yourself. Another five points"

"But—professor, no. I'm already being punished by her. Why do you have to take points too?"

"Because detentions seem to have no effect on you. Not another complaint, Potter. Miss Johnson, confine your shouting to the quidditch pitch"

Giving Harry the dirtiest look, Angelina left with her friends. Harry sat down, angrily. Before McGonagall could return to the staff table, Snape got her attention. He walked towards the Gryffindor table with Draco and Blaise. In his hand, he was holding Seth, still in hexed form. He put him down in front of Evani.

"Miss Rybek, do you know what this is?"

"It's a chick, sir. A baby chicken"

"It's Seth Burke. I have multiple witnesses telling me that you turned him into this"

Hermione and McGonagall both shot her stern looks. Ron stifled a laugh. She nodded, not bothering to deny it.

"Why would you hex Mister Burke?" asked McGonagall.

"Cause he was being a jerk"

"We do not transfigure other students, Miss Rybek. Change him back this instant"

"No"

Evani twirled her fork in her hand. McGonagall looked at her, incredulously. As Seth struggled to move, she picked up a piece of chicken. She held it in front of his little face, tauntingly.

"Maybe this will be you soon, little nugget" she hissed.

"Miss Rybek"

"You're the Transfiguration teacher. Can't you change him back?"

Hermione kicked her leg beneath the table. McGonagall flicked her wand. Seth returned to his normal self, landing on the stone floor. Noticing Evani, he attempted to lunge at her. Draco kept him back.

"Miss Rybek, apologize or it's detention" said Snape.

"That is such a double standard. Seth pulls all kinds of pranks on Serena and other kids but I'm the one getting detention?"

She turned to Seth. "I am sorry, Seth. I'm sorry that you are so pathetic that you have to pick on other people to make yourself feel special. I'm sorry that you're an idiot, who somehow thinks he's a gift to girls everywhere. But I'm mostly sorry that you are completely worthless"

"When my father hears about this, you little"

Draco stamped on his foot. He forced him over to the Slytherin table. McGonagall gave her a warning. If she misused magic again, she would have a month's detention. Evani rolled her eyes as she and Snape returned to the teachers' table. Hermione was glaring at her.

"Say it, mother. Give me the lecture"

"Evie, it doesn't matter what Seth did. You could've seriously hurt him"

"What an awful loss that would be" she replied, sarcastically.

"It's not funny. You can't use magic however you want"

Evani waited for Harry to defend her. He was busy mutilating his waffle with a fork. The argument with McGonagall got his temper going. He hated being reprimanded for telling the truth. She tuned out Hermione's lecture about following rules and proper magic use. The bell finally rang. She went up to the Charms classroom by herself, sitting at her desk. Harry slammed his book down, making her jump.

"Still angry?"

He sat down. "Hermione thinks McGonagall was right. She says I shouldn't lose my temper"

"It's not your fault"

She kissed his cheek. He instantly calmed down. Flitwick started a lesson on growth charms. Various foods appeared in front of each student. Flitwick pointed his wand at an orange.

"It's a quick swish movement. Be sure to enunciate and focus, always important"

He swished his wand in an upward motion. "Crescere"

"That's latin for grow" she whispered.

"Thank you, encyclopedia"

She stuck her tongue out at Harry, who smiled. The orange swelled to three times its size.

"Another thing to remember. Do not be too forceful. Otherwise, your food will swell to too great of a size and burst. Don't want that mess, do we?"

Everyone began practicing the spell. Neville made his grapes bounce around. Blaise caused his carrot to multiply. Most seemed to get it wrong. Flitwick started going around the room, correcting their mistakes. Evani swished her wand. The apple in front of her grew larger. Harry attempted the spell. Nothing happened to his orange.

"You're not doing the movement right. Here"

Her hand rested over his on the wand. She felt a passing spark.

"It's a quick swish. Not too high or like he said, it'll get too big. Ready?"

Evani guided his wand. "Crescere"

The orange grew beside her apple. Seamus set his peach on fire. Her eyes widened. Harry said that she would get used to that. Seamus was prone to causing explosions. Flitwick extinguished the flames.

"Mister Finnigan, please try not to blow up any more food"

"Sorry, sir"

Dean was snickering into his sleeve. Flitwick walked over to Evani and Harry.

"Oh excellent work, you two. I think you could attempt animals now"

With a flick, he replaced the fruits with two small snails. Evani thought back to her first Transfiguration class. What was with this school and snails? She hid her irritation with a smile. Susan's pear burst, covering her and Hannah's desk. As Flitwick aided them with cleaning up, Evani sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry.

"This is so lame. I want to do something cool"

"You will. It's the beginning of the year. It's always slow"

At the end of the lesson, Evani was ready to stab herself with her wand. She just wanted to be challenged like at the _Wizard Battle_ tournament. If someone told her about wizarding schools, she never would imagine it like this.

"Well now if someone messes with me, I can create an army of enormous snails"

Harry laughed. When they went down to Transfiguration, Umbridge was in the room, sitting in the corner. Harry's fists clenched.

"Just relax" whispered Evani.

McGonagall did not even acknowledge her presence. Evani had a feeling that she would never let Umbridge push her around.

"Ah, Miss Parkinson, I see you've made a full recovery"

Pansy walked into the classroom with her clique. She gave a weak nod. Millicent was carrying her bag for her.

"You won't need to participate in today's lesson, considering your condition"

Evani noticed that most kids looked disappointed with Pansy's recovery. The Slytherins were really disliked at Hogwarts. McGonagall discouraged them from questioning Pansy about what happened.

"Well I hope Miss Parkinson's ordeal teaches the rest of you not to be wandering around at night"

Pansy sat beside Draco, clinging to his arm. Her head rested on his shoulder. Evani rolled her eyes.

"Mister Finnigan, hand back the homework. Miss Rybek, take this box of mice and hand one to each student"

Evani picked up the box on her desk. Umbridge did her little cough. McGonagall ignored her. Evani placed a pair of mice on each desk. Lavender looked disgusted.

"Ew, I hate mice"

"All the more reason to make it vanish"

"Good call, Evie"

She gave Lavender a tiny mouse. Secretly, she crinkled her nose. It caused the mouse to do little twirls and jumps.

"Aww" chorused Lavender and Parvati.

As she went over to Pansy and Draco, Pansy sneered. "Don't think you're better than me, Rybek. You won that duel on a fluke"

Evani rolled her eyes, putting one mouse on the desk. Draco gave Pansy a harsh look.

"Pansy, don't talk to her like that. Evie saved your life" he hissed.

"I didn't need her help"

"You would've been stuck in the Janus Thickey ward if it wasn't for her"

Pansy did not seem to care. She simply scowled. Evani returned the box to McGonagall's desk and took her seat. Seamus handed back their essays on the inanimatus conjurus spell. She received an O like her other assignments.

"Most of you have successfully vanished your snails and even those who haven't, you have the gist of the spell. Today, we shall"

Umbridge continued to do her little cough. McGonagall acknowledged that she did get the note informing her of the time of her inspection. With each interruption, McGonagall seemed to get more agitated.

"Today, we will be vanishing mice. Now the spell"

"Hem, hem"

"I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my teaching when you constantly interrupt me. You see, I do not normally allow people to speak while I am speaking"

Umbridge did not say anything in reply. She merely sat straighter in her chair, scribbling on the clipboard.

"As I was saying, vanishing becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal. The mouse, as a mammal, offers a greater challenge, which means you must have full concentration. Begin"

Umbridge stayed seated, continuing to write. Evani looked at the small mouse. She was getting bored with these lessons. By now, she knew not to argue with McGonagall. It would be a lost cause. She tapped the mouse with her wand. It vanished completely.

"Excellent work, Miss Rybek. Ten points to Gryffindor"

Towards the end of class, McGonagall sent the box around to return the mice. The bell rang. Evani stood up, grabbing her bag.

"Miss Rybek, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you"

She looked at McGonagall. "Why?"

"Nothing to worry about, dear. The password is Fizzing Whizbee. Go on and boys, she can get there on her own"

Some of the guys looked dejected. Confused, Evani walked to Dumbledore's office on the second floor. There was a statue of a stone gargoyle statue. She told it the password. The statue began to turn, revealing a staircase. She jumped onto the stairs as the statue turned, ending up in front of a door. The headmaster's office was a large circular room with various trinkets. Above the desk, there were portraits of numerous wizards, the center one being of Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore emerged from a back door.

"Ah, Evani, I see Professor McGonagall gave you my message. Please sit"

She sat in front of his desk.

"You're no doubt aware of Miss Parkinson's ordeal. I'm aware that you two were dueling that night"

Her eyes widened. How could he know about their duel? He explained that Draco and his friends mentioned the duel when bringing Pansy to the hospital wing.

"I'm really sorry, sir. Pansy was insulting Serena and she's my friend. I just—I swear that I didn't use my real magic"

"You are not in trouble, Evani. If I had to punish every student who participates in a duel at this school, almost every one would be in detention. I cannot fault you for protecting your friends. You're a very loyal person"

"So why am I here?"

"I was able to tap into her memory once she broke free of the hex. I know who her attacker was"

Dumbledore sat in front of her. He had a concerned expression in his eyes. Waving his wand, he made part of the wall open. A stone basin moved forward.

"This is a pensieve. It allows one to store their memories when their mind gets cluttered. I placed Miss Parkinson's in here for better viewing"

"How do we see it?"

"All you do is look inside"

There was a silvery liquid in the basin. He swirled the liquid with his wand. An image began to form. Suddenly, she found herself at the quidditch pitch. She saw her duel between her and Pansy. Her past self levitated Pansy into the air. She reversed the charm, letting her fall, and left the pitch.

"This isn't over! I'm going to"

Suddenly, a spell hit her back. She fell over again and roots shot up, wrapping her tightly. Pansy struggled against the roots.

"Someone help! Hey! I'm stuck!"

A man in his 50s with graying black hair and dark eyes snuck out from the stands. He was wearing an auror jacket.

"You'll be out of Hogwarts soon enough and back where you belong"

The middle-aged wizard flicked his wand, whispering under his breath. Pansy's eyes became vacant for a few seconds. Voices came from the other side of the pitch. The man vanished. Draco rushed over to her. He used his wand to sever the roots, releasing Pansy. She screamed, beginning to freak out. Evani was thrust back into the office. She turned to Dumbledore.

"Who was that man?"

"Walter Smith"

"The new head of the aurors for the American Ministry?"

Dumbledore looked a bit surprised. "Yes. How did you"

"I wanted to know who his men were…for protection, sir. I didn't want to be tricked by them if I ran into them at some point"

"I see. That is quite resourceful. How did you get those names?"

"A friend in the Ministry, sir. One of the aurors helped me escape that night. Why did he attack Pansy?"

"I believe he thought it was you, Evani"

Dumbledore suggested that due to the darkness, Smith was unable to distinguish between her and Pansy. He had been the one watching their duel, a fact that Draco got from talking to Evani herself. Dumbledore assumed that Bass wanted to use that dark hex to cause Evani to act erratically like Pansy had been doing. If the professors were unable to treat her, they would send her to St. Mungo's. This would make it easier for Bass to get to her since St. Mungo's was a public building. She questioned how Smith entered the school grounds. Dumbledore claimed that the charms were not foolproof and a skilled wizard could find a way around them. To assuage her fears, he told her that he increased the charms so that no one could enter the grounds without permission from Dumbledore himself. She bit her lip, nervously. Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder.

"I promise no harm will come to you"

"Will Smith get in trouble, sir?"

"I have informed the International Confederation. They will certainly look into the matter. This is irrefutable proof. Hopefully, he will be stripped of his position. He may even go to prison for harming a minor and using dark magic. Regrettably, Declan Bass won't be persecuted himself"

"That's okay, sir. It's one less man he can use to hurt me"

Evani left his office. From her bag, she took out a list of names. It was all of the aurors in the American Ministry. She kept off Caleb and his friends, who never harmed her. Some of the names had been crossed out. Moving her finger along Smith's name, she did the same, smirking. She stashed the list and called up James.

"Evie, hey. I've been so worried. I heard about what happened to that girl at your school. My mom said that an auror here was responsible. He's in a lot of trouble"

"I know you're hiding something from me, James. It doesn't matter. I'm handling it myself"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm taking out Bass's men one by one until it's just him. Smith didn't hurt her"

"Evie, you didn't…"

"The bitch deserved it. I accomplished two goals with one action. I defended my friend and got one of Bass's best aurors to rot in a jail cell"

"What if someone"

"James, you know me. I always cover my tracks. I did fix her but I altered her memory of that night. As far as everyone is concerned, Smith attacked her. Not even Bass could pin this on me. Smith being at Hogwarts just casts more suspicion on him"

"Did you have to hurt her that bad?"

She scoffed. "Don't get soft on me. That pug-faced idiot was far from innocent. I wish you were there to see me last night. I just poured dirt on her face and Draco was so gullible. He actually believed that it healed her"

"Evie?"

Turning around, she saw Serena and Ginny. She closed the phone, putting it back in her bag. They looked at her, curiously.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Serena.

"A friend from home"

"What did you mean Draco thought you healed Pansy?"

"Fine, I didn't actually fix her. I thought the root would work but it didn't…and I couldn't tell him that. I guess the hex just ended on its own" she lied.

Serena and Ginny easily believed her. They had come to the office to check on her, after Ron told them that Dumbledore asked to see her after class. Serena worried that she was in trouble. Apparently, Daphne accused Evani of hexing Pansy this morning while Pomfrey checked on a recovering Pansy. None of the teachers believed her, claiming that a student was not capable of such magic. As they walked along the corridor, she told them about the meeting with Dumbledore and how he retrieved Pansy's memory of that night.

"It turns out Bass sent someone to hurt me but they got her instead"

The two girls stopped, horrified. "What?!"

A group of 2nd years looked at them, fearfully. "Take a picture" said Evani.

They scurried down the hall, whispering to each other. She shook her head at the nosy brats. Grabbing hold of the girls, she pulled them into the middle courtyard for privacy.

"Be a little louder. I don't think they heard you in China. It's not a big deal"

"Evie, it is too. How can you be so calm?"

"Let's talk about something else. Want to sneak down to the forest tonight?"

"The forest? Do you have a death wish?" squeaked Serena.

"Come on, it'll be an adventure. I have a feeling it'll be worthwhile"

"What do you want to see in there?"

"Don't know yet"

The bell rang. She smiled at them.

"So we'll go after dinner. You can bring Colin and Keith too if you scaredy cats need big, strong men to protect you from the itty bitty forest"

"So why bring them?" asked Ginny.

"Ha ha. Just remember to wear all black"

"Are we doing something illegal?"

"Can't be illegal if it's never been done"

"Evie, I don't like riddles"

Evani merely winked and went down to Hagrid's cabin…

* * *

**A/N:** **I just wanted to point out that I'm not making Evani this evil witch who will become like another Voldemort. She did hurt Pansy but in her mind, it was justified because Pansy had been harassing one of her friends. Both the sorting hat and Dumbledore called her a very loyal person and the hat mentioned that her "darkness" comes out when she's defending people close to her. The same can be applied to what she did to Seth. The way I see her character, Evani learned magic on her own for all these years. She was born in a muggle family and never knew about wizards so she taught herself. She's not like the other students at Hogwarts, who learned the rules about magic use from 1st year or even before school. I think that affects her idea of right and wrong when it comes to magic. While Hermione saw her hex on Seth as wrong, Evani justified it by saying he hurt Serena first. It's the same thing when it comes to what she did to Smith, the auror. She just assumes that he sided with Bass's agenda and should be punished. Her friend James thought it went too far but Evani's driven by her hatred for Bass and how he ruined her normal life. Evani's an expert liar, which makes it easier to get away with these schemes. I liked that Dumbledore found it surprising that Evani knew one of Bass's aurors just by name. Though she came up with a good excuse, it is possible that Dumbledore sees something wrong with the situation and that Evani does have her little secrets.**

**Thanks for reading! Review! :)**


	39. Chapter 39: The Secret Cave

Evani merely winked and went down to Hagrid's cabin. Luckily, no one was around. She went towards the edge of the forest, taking out her drawing from Divinations. Using magic, she enhanced her speed and ran from one side of the forest to the other. She pressed her hand against the drawing. It created a map, leading to the cave.

"Rybek"

Turning around, she saw Grubbly-Plank. She was carrying a basket filled with bowtruckles. Evani hid the paper in her bag.

"Don't get so close to the forest, girl. Nasty things in there"

"Sorry, professor"

Evani walked over to the wooden table by the cabin. "I just find it so interesting. What kind of creatures live in the forest?"

"Centaurs, of course, a whole colony of them. There are unicorns, crups, regular animals like foxes and rabbits…"

"Is there any part of the forest that hasn't been explored?"

Grubbly-Plank looked at her. "Not that I know of. You're filled with questions today"

"Just curious"

"Don't go wandering in there. Anything could be hiding in those trees"

"I won't, professor. I know it's against the rules"

As Grubbly-Plank poured some wood lice into the basket, Evani took one last look at the forest. She sat on a smooth boulder. Someone hugged her from behind. It was Draco. He kissed her cheek. She smiled.

"Hey beautiful"

"Pansy's not attached to your leg?"

"She had to go back to the hospital wing for a check-up. Besides, I'd rather be with you"

He kept his arm around her waist as he sat beside her. Grubbly-Plank was busy handling the bowtruckles. He slid his hand over her knee.

"So I don't have prefect duty tonight. Why don't we sneak down to Hogsmeade? Or I could take you flying?"

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm busy"

"Homework is more exciting than me?" he asked, smirking.

She poked his nose. "Not homework. I'm hanging out with Serena and Ginny"

"Doing what?"

"Oh typical girl things. We're going to just be in skimpy lingerie and practice making out with each other"

"Why waste those sweet lips on someone like Serena?"

Evani playfully pushed his shoulder. Part of her wanted to hang out with Draco. It would be nice to have alone time. At Hogwarts, he was always flanked by his idiots. She doubted that she could deal with Seth for much longer. Despite her desire to be with him, the forest was too important. She needed to see what her visions meant.

"I'm hanging out with them. No boys allowed"

"You're killing me"

Umbridge showed up, holding her clipboard. Evani was sick of seeing her in every class. Draco distracted her, tickling her sides. She suppressed a few giggles. As they observed the bowtruckles, Umbridge began her inspection. With Grubbly-Plank distracted, kids goofed off and pretended to be watching the creatures. Millicent, Tracey, and Daphne were gossiping. Lavender filed her nails.

"The headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter. Perhaps you could tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's extended leave of absence?"

Draco glanced over at the two professors. Evani pinched his arm.

"Pay attention"

"You're being rude"

"I will not hesitate to smack you"

Draco smirked. She lightly smacked his cheek. He touched his cheek, feigning sadness in his eyes.

"That hurt"

"Suck it up, Slytherin"

A bowtruckle crawled onto her hand. She picked up some wood lice to feed it. Suddenly, another bowtruckle knocked it off of her hand. The second bowtruckle took its place. More came over, starting a little fight.

"Are they supposed to do that?"

Draco shrugged. "Don't get scared. I'll protect you"

One of the bowtruckles swiped at his hand. He retracted it from the table.

"Bloody violent" he hissed.

"That's not nice" she told the bowtruckle.

Its bark hand touched her arm, looking up at her. "He's sad"

"What?"

"Don't you see it? I think he's sad that I scolded him"

"Evie, it's some wood creature, not a person"

"I'm not mad at you"

The bowtruckle let out a soft coo. She fed it some wood lice. Draco was staring at her.

"What?"

"It's like it understood you"

"Don't be silly"

Umbridge asked questions to a few students then returned to Grubbly-Plank. She inquired about lessons for the year. Grubbly-Plank explained that they would observe creatures common in OWL exams like knarls and porlocks.

"Well, _you_ seem to know what you're doing at any rate. Now I hear there have been injuries in this class?"

"That was me. I was attacked by a hippogriff" replied Draco.

Harry threw him the harshest look. Evani had heard this story. Two years ago, Hagrid brought in hippogriffs for his first lesson. Draco, not listening to his instructions, got his arm slashed, leading to him wearing a sling for a few weeks. His parents flipped out and ordered Buckbeak's execution. Umbridge seemed to be waiting for this information. She scribbled quickly on her clipboard.

"A hippogriff?"

"Almost lost my arm"

Evani sighed to herself. She did not understand his vendetta against Hagrid. Draco was just stirring up trouble for no reason.

"Only because he was too stupid to listen to Hagrid" retorted Harry.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, exasperated. Umbridge turned to Harry.

"Another night's detention, I think, Mister Potter"

Why would he get another detention? Harry did not say anything wrong. Umbridge was really trying to beat Harry down. Evani resisted the urge to argue with her.

"Thank you, Professor Grubbly-Plank. That's all I need. You'll get the results of your inspection in ten days"

Umbridge strode back up the hill. As the class ended, Evani walked to the greenhouses with Draco. She played with her necklace, leaning against a tree.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You lied to Umbridge"

"I did not. I did get attacked by that stupid bird"

"Because you didn't bow to it. You just went right up and insulted it. It didn't tear off your arm. Harry said"

Hearing Harry's name set him off. His grip on her waist tightened. Draco glared.

"Oh, is Potter right about everything?"

"That's not what I meant. I just wish you two would stop fighting"

"We don't like each other. Not everyone can be friends. I don't see you braiding Daphne's hair"

"I'm not asking you to make friendship bracelets. Just be civil…"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. I'll try"

She kissed his cheek. Around 8, Evani snuck out to the forest. She changed into a cropped black hoodie and black skinny jeans with ankle boots. Ginny, Serena, Keith, and Colin walked down to the forest. They looked less excited about this adventure. It was like they expected this to be the last night of their lives.

"Ready?"

"Why are we going in there?" asked Keith.

"Keith, grow a pair. It's not that scary"

"There are centaurs and giant spiders in those woods"

"We're five wizards. We can handle it"

"What if Filch catches us?"

"He won't. That's why we're wearing black to blend in"

Keith continued to bring up random reasons not to go through with this idea. Evani rolled her eyes. Serena grabbed Keith by the collar of his hoodie and dragged him into the forest. It was extremely dark. Evani crinkled her nose. Small balls of light formed along the path, making the forest more visible. Colin was about to take a picture. She stopped him.

"Not yet. You'll be able to take pictures of something much cooler"

Grabbing the map from the pocket of her hoodie, she followed the path. They stopped at a wall, similar to her dream.

"Are we here to see a wall?"

"No. It's something behind the wall"

Serena touched the bare rock. "Just Alohomora wouldn't work. Do we have to blast it?"

"We need Seamus. He's good with explosions" said Colin, taking pictures of the wall.

"Explosions are not needed"

Evani went closer to the wall. She spotted the crescent moon symbol. Rolling up her sleeve, she pressed her wrist against the wall. Her wrist burned. She bit her lip to stifle the pain. The symbol was outlined in a blue glow. Runes formed along the wall. The others stared, wide-eyed. Evani translated the symbols under her breath.

"Only the chosen can control the fire"

The ground began shaking. Keith held onto her while Colin grabbed Serena and Ginny.

"Don't go near it, Evie. Shaking isn't good"

The wall separated, revealing a covered path. There were vines, tall grass, and fallen trees everywhere.

"Evie" She looked at Ginny.

"How did you make it open?"

"I read the symbols" she lied, not mentioning her birthmark.

"How did you find out about this?"

"I read about it. Let's keep going"

"But there's no path"

Evani focused her magic, waving her hand. The plants moved on their own, turning the wreckage back to normal. It looked like the rest of the forest. She glanced at the map. The balls of light continued to light the path. They walked along, keeping their wands out. As Evani pushed back a branch, she saw a deep chasm. The map continued on past this point.

"We have to get across"

"There's no bridge" said Colin.

"So we make one" suggested Serena.

She waved her wand in a large circular motion. Rocks from the bottom rose up and pieced together, forming a wide bridge. Evani looked at her, impressed. She had a feeling that Serena had potential that was stifled by Seth's taunts. Serena smiled. Before she took one step, Evani stopped her.

"Wait"

She threw a small rock onto the bridge. It crumbled.

"It looked perfect"

"I think we need to be a little more creative"

Evani raised her wand. Large flat boulders rose, one after the other. One by one, they jumped onto the first boulder. The boulder levitated towards the nearest one. They jumped from boulder to boulder until they reached the other side of the chasm. She saw the cave, getting excited.

"There it is"

"That cave?"

"Yea. Come on"

As they neared the cave, Evani felt this rush of energy. She needed to get inside. Something told her that it would be worthwhile. Within a few feet, another wall popped up, blocking their path. There were only two runes.

"Prove yourself"

"What does that mean?" asked Ginny.

A flame-like symbol appeared on the wall. "Easy. Incendio"

She conjured a small flame. They got pushed back a bit. More runes formed.

"Only the chosen. The unworthy are denied"

"I think it means you, Evie"

She looked at Serena. "You were the one to open the first wall. Maybe because you figured it out, you need to solve the rest. Maybe my bridge spell wasn't wrong…it only lets your magic through"

Evani conjured a large flame with her wand. The symbol changed to a water sign. She realized it was the different elements. As she manipulated water and earth, an air symbol formed. Spinning her wand around, she created a ball of air. The wall vanished. Like in her dream, she heard the shrieking sounds.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Ginny.

"You don't—that sound"

"I don't hear anything"

Evani went towards the entrance of the cave. For some reason, the others did not follow her. She assumed they were too scared. Leaving them behind, she walked deep into the cave. It stretched for at least a mile. Similar to her vision, there were crude drawings and symbols along the walls. She used enhanced speed to reach the end of the cave. There was just bare wall. She stamped her foot, causing the wall to crumble. Her eyes widened, seeing all kinds of gems and a chest filled with galleons. Continuing to look around, she took out her phone and snapped pictures. She saw something hidden in the corner covered by dust and cobwebs. She cleared away the mess. There was a large nest with about a dozen eggs inside. The eggs had a dark leathery shell with ridges.

"Dragon eggs" she whispered, surprised.

She picked one of the eggs up. It felt extremely warm. She could hear sounds from the inside. Opening her bag, she stashed the eggs. She miniaturized the rest of the things. Leaving the cave, she saw Ginny pacing back and forth.

"Evie, thank goodness. We were worried. You were in there for a long time"

"Why didn't you come?"

"We couldn't. This forcefield popped up as soon as you got near the cave. See?"

She pointed at the ground. Evani looked at her, weirdly.

"There is no forcefield"

"You don't see it?"

"No…"

She walked over to them. "So was there anything cool?"

Evani gave them her phone. They looked at the various pictures. She took out the small chest. Keith gaped at the galleons pouring out.

"There must be at least a thousand in here"

"We'll split it"

"What?"

"5 ways. 200 each"

She showed them the other objects, except for the eggs. Colin glanced at his watch. It was already close to midnight. She used a spell to bring them outside the forest in an instant. Evani, Ginny, Keith, and Colin returned to the Gryffindor common room, talking excitedly about their little adventure.

"Keith thinks he saw an acromantula"

"I did. I scared it off"

"Uh huh" said Ginny, rolling her eyes.

As they walked through the portrait, she heard "Where have you four been?"

Hermione and Ron were on one of the couches.

"It's far past your curfew. You're supposed to be back in by 9" said Hermione.

"We were with Serena, watching a movie" said Ginny, convincingly.

"Get to bed or I'll tell McGonagall"

Keith and Colin practically raced up the stairs. Ginny shook her head, following them. Evani went over to the couch, sitting beside Hermione.

"Why are you two up?"

"Waiting for Harry. He's still at his detention with Umbridge"

"Still? He left before dinner ended"

"I know. Bet that foul woman's slicing up his hand until it's covered in scars" said Ron, disgusted.

"We've got to do something about her" said Hermione.

"We could poison her"

"Poisoned flies" joked Evani.

She and Ron laughed. The portrait opened again. Harry walked in, rubbing his hand. His hand was bleeding badly. He sat beside Evani. Hermione placed his hand in a bowl of pickled murtlap tentacles. It would soothe the pain.

"I still think you could complain about this, Harry" said Ron.

"No"

"But McGonagall"

"How long would it take for Umbridge to pass a decree that says any teacher who complains is sacked immediately?"

Hermione stood up, looking out the window. It began to rain heavily. She turned to them.

"I was just telling Ron and Evie that we need to do something about her. She's dreadful and we're not learning any defense at all. I was thinking"

For a second, she glanced at Harry, nervously. "We just do it ourselves"

"Do what?" asked Ron, yawning.

"Learn Defense against the dark arts"

"Come off it. You want us to do extra work? Harry and I are behind as it is"

Hermione stressed the importance of learning defense. With Voldemort's return, they needed to prepare themselves. Umbridge was going to make things worse for them with her lessons. Theory would be useless if they found themselves in a bad situation. Evani said that they could look up spells in the library. Ron doubted it would help much. Hermione suggested that they needed a proper teacher. She shook her head when Harry mentioned Lupin.

"Isn't it obvious? You, Harry"

Harry stared at her, silently. Evani thought it was a smart idea. If anyone knew about defending themselves, it would be him. Ron frowned slightly.

"That's an idea"

"What is?"

"You teaching us"

Harry let out a small laugh. He grinned at the three of them.

"I'm not a teacher. I can't"

"Harry, you're the best in our year at Defense against the dark arts" said Hermione.

"No. You've beaten me in every test"

"No. Not in 3rd year, when we had a real teacher. I'm not even talking about test results. Look at what you've done"

Ron made a thinking face. He brought up their adventures each year. It ranged from fighting the basilisk to surviving an encounter with Voldemort in the graveyard. Harry kept countering each example, calling it luck. His temper was rising. Evani waited for him to flip out.

"Listen to me!"

Hermione and Ron both smirked at him. "It sounds great when you say it like that. I didn't plan any of it. It's not like I knew what I was doing. It's not funny!"

Harry stood up, shaking. "You don't what it's like! You think it's just memorizing a bunch of spells and throwing them at him like in a classroom. The whole time, it's like there's nothing between you and dying except your own…guts or whatever. They don't teach you that. You're acting like I was brilliant and Diggory was an idiot. That could've been me"

Evani grabbed his arm, sitting him back down. Harry started to relax.

"Harry, no one was saying anything about Cedric. This is why we need you. You're the only person who knows what it's like to face Voldemort"

He looked at her. "I think a lot of kids would benefit from it. They're all in this protective little bubble and it's not the truth. Just think about it, okay?"

"Fine"

They went up to their rooms to get some sleep. Evani stashed the items from the cave into her suitcase, keeping the dragon eggs under a pile of clothes…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	40. Chapter 40: Hogsmeade with Lukas

-October- After a couple weeks, Harry agreed to teach some defense. He did not enjoy the idea of other kids joining the group. It took some persuasion from Evani. Hermione, Evani, and Ron went around to the other houses, except Slytherin, telling them about the secret group. Most of them sounded interested. The only Slytherin who got the memo was Serena. Evani knew not to tell someone like Draco. He would waste no time ratting Harry out to Umbridge. They decided to set up a meeting during the first Hogsmeade weekend. Evani was getting ready in her room. Crinkling her nose, she changed into a blue floral printed strapless dress with black knee-high boots, a blue floral headband, and a black cropped jacket. She checked her appearance in the mirror, tousling her hair. As she left the bathroom, Ginny whistled.

"Someone is looking very hot"

"After the meeting, I'm hanging out with Lukas"

"Ooh"

"He asked me yesterday when I told him about the meeting. He's showing me around and then we're going to that movie theater to see a muggle horror movie marathon"

"Sounds fun. You better tell me and Serena everything. I'm going to get Michael in a bit. We'll meet you there"

Evani grabbed her purse and left the room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting.

"We should get there early just to make sure everything looks alright" suggested Hermione.

They went out to the entrance courtyard. Filch was waiting. He took their permission slips. She hid her disgust when his eyes traveled over her. When Harry handed over his slip, Filch sniffed him. He gave him a curt nod. They started walking to Hogsmeade.

"Why was Filch sniffing you?" asked Ron, confused.

"Trying to smell for dungbombs, I bet. I forgot to tell you"

Harry explained the incident at the owlery. He assumed it had been Draco. Hermione seemed to find the incident far more interesting.

"So are we going to the Three Broomsticks?"

"No. It's too crowded. We're going to the Hog's Head"

"It's not on the main road. Hermione thought it would be better…less chance of Umbridge catching us" said Evani.

After a few minutes of walking, they stopped at an inn. The building looked very rusty. A battered wooden sign hung loosely, having a picture of a severed boar's head. She scrunched her nose in disgust. Reluctantly, Evani pushed open the door. The bar consisted of a single dirty room that had a lingering smell of goats. She held her nose. So much dirt and grime covered the windows that barely any light could get through to the inn. A lot of people appeared to be covering their faces. Harry was watching a heavily veiled woman at the bar.

"Hermione, this looks like a bad idea. What if that's Umbridge?"

"Umbridge is shorter than that woman. Besides, we're allowed in here. Flitwick told me himself. Even if she is here, there's nothing against study or homework groups. I just think we should keep this quiet"

"Since this isn't really a study group"

They sat at a table far towards the back. Evani went up to the bar to get drinks. A grumpy-looking man with long grey hair and matching beard was cleaning glasses with a dirty rag. He looked oddly familiar.

"What you w"

The man stopped, looking at her. "Hi. Can I have four butterbeers?"

From beneath the counter, he took out four dusty bottles. He did not charge anything. She returned to the table.

"How much was it?" asked Harry.

"Free"

"He must like you, Evie"

"Ew" she said, hitting Ron's shoulder.

"I bet he'd give you firewhiskey if you asked. I always wanted to have some"

Hermione shot him a stern look. "You are a prefect" she hissed.

Ron remained silent. Harry questioned how many kids were coming, thinking it would be ten at most. Evani hoped that he did not freak out. She exchanged a worried look with Hermione. Around 10, the door swung open. A large group of kids entered the pub. Based on the barman's expression, he was not used to this many people. He almost dropped the glass in his hand. Evani counted about 50 kids, ranging from 4th to 7th year with some younger kids like Nigel and Dennis, Colin's little brother. It surprised her that so many kids wanted to learn. Evani was sure that they saw the importance in learning defense like Hermione. Some might even support Harry, too nervous to voice their opinions. Fred, George, and Lee were carrying large bags with the logo '_Zonko's_'. Lukas, Roger, and Max followed behind them. Seeing her, Lukas smiled. She returned it with a small wave.

"Evie, after the meeting, I thought I could show you around" whispered Harry.

"Lukas is"

"Lukas?"

"Yea. He asked me last night during dinner"

"That's great"

Harry looked a little dejected. She got distracted by Fred ordering butterbeers for everyone. All of them handed over some sickles to him. Harry's eyes darted around the room.

"Harry, it's okay. They're all here to learn from you" she whispered, not wanting him to lose his temper.

An Asian girl with long black hair sat near Roger. She smiled at Harry. Her friend, a snooty-looking girl with strawberry blonde hair, looked less excited to be here. Evani remembered Hermione talking to them when they went to the Ravenclaw table. Their names were Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe. Hermione mentioned that Harry had a crush on her since 3rd year. Evani got the idea to play matchmaker. Dating would help assuage Harry's constant temper. Once everyone was seated, Hermione stood up. They all looked at her.

"Well um hi" she said, her voice squeaking.

She sounded nervous. "You all know why we're here. I had the idea that it might be good if people who wanted to study defense against the dark arts…not that rubbish Umbridge is doing with us, we could take matters into our own hands. By learning to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells"

"You want to pass your defense OWL too, I bet" said Anthony.

"Of course but I also wanted to be properly trained because…Lord Voldemort is back"

Marietta spilled butterbeer on her blouse. A lot of kids looked nervous. Some let out small whimpers.

"That's the plan. If you want to join us, we need to decide how"

"Where's the proof you know who's back?" asked Zacharias.

Evani expected some of them to be doubters. She was unsure of how Harry would handle it.

"Dumbledore believes it"

"You mean, he believes him" he said, nodding at Harry.

"Who are you?" asked Ron, rudely.

"Zacharias Smith. I think we have a right to know what exactly makes him say you know who's back"

"If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed" said Michael.

Ginny pinched his arm, glaring. An argument started. Some kids accused Hermione of just wanting to pass her exams. Others said it was insane to believe Voldemort returned.

"Shut up!" said Evani.

Everyone got quiet, looking at her. "It doesn't matter what happened to Harry. Voldemort's back and it's the truth. You all need a serious reality check. The world isn't a happy, perfect place. Umbridge thinks so but she's an idiot. You're not always going to have mommy and daddy to protect you. So if you want to learn how to defend yourselves and live past graduation, then you'll listen to what Hermione has to say. If not, you can get up and let the door smack you on the way out"

Zacharias remained in his seat, looking intently at Harry. She got up to get another drink. There was a man wrapped in bandages at the bar. Evani watched him, suspiciously. There was something off about him.

"Another butterbeer, girl?" asked the barman.

"No. I want a firewhiskey. I don't care how much it costs for you to overlook my age"

He chuckled, continuing to clean the glass. "No charge. I can tell you're troubled"

Beneath the counter, he grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey. She downed some of it.

"Don't trust them"

"Excuse me?"

"I learned that lesson a long time ago. Trust no one but yourself. Especially someone like you"

"Like me?"

"I know who you are"

"I'm Evie"

"What you really are"

Evani was confused by what he said. The barman looked her over. He lowered his voice.

"You think he's protecting you, don't you? Up in the castle"

"Dumbledore?"

"He's only looking out for himself. No one sees you for you, little dove. All they see is your power. Declan Bass, the Order…you're just a pawn in their game for power, to keep them on top. Even your little friends won't treat you the same when they know your real gifts"

Evani stared at him, silently. How did this random person know about her situation with Bass? She was unsure of what to believe. This man did not even know her. It planted doubts in her mind. She thought back to her feelings about wizards when at the Dursleys. This man made it seem like all wizards could not be trusted. Was Dumbledore just using her too? Could he be no better than Bass himself? She returned to the small group, sitting back next to Harry. Everything seemed to calm down. Hermione nodded at her. From her bag, she took out a piece of paper and a pen.

"I think everyone should write their name down so we know who was here and we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing to not tell Umbridge or anyone else what we're up to"

Evani, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already wrote their names. Fred was the first to sign. Other kids looked more reluctant.

"Uh…I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meetings are"

Ernie was silent. "Ernie"

"It's just…we're prefects. If the list was found"

Evani rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to leave it lying around. Do you think I'm that stupid? It'll be in a safe place. No one will find it"

After Ernie signed, the rest began to follow. Evani placed the paper back into her bag. As everyone left, Hermione smiled.

"I think that went well"

"That Zacharias bloke's a wart" replied Ron.

Evani shrugged. "He seemed into it when I was talking to the other Hufflepuffs"

"I wonder why"

His voice dripped with sarcasm. She looked at him, confused.

"Evie, he probably only went because of you"

"Sadly, I think Ron's right. But the more people the better" said Hermione.

Lukas was waiting by the door. "I'll see you guys later"

She went over to him, happily. They left the Hog's Head. As they walked back towards the main road, they discussed the meeting.

"It was going good until Zacharias opened his mouth"

"He's always been a little—annoying. I liked what you said"

She looked at Lukas. "You're right. I feel like wizards are so sheltered. We know what the world is really like…war, fighting, all kinds of problems. They think it will never affect them but it will"

Lukas took her to all of the different shops. Hogsmeade reminded her of a miniature mall. There were so many places to go. She liked getting to hang out with Lukas. He was fun to be around and kept making her laugh. They had just entered Honeyduke's, a shop filled with tons of candies and chocolates. Lukas made her try some of them.

"Here" he said, taking something out of the sample bin.

It was a blue mouse shaped candy covered in sugar crystals. "Ice mice"

"They're not real mice, are they?"

"No, just candy"

Cautiously, she bit into one of the paws. It had a sweet taste followed by a cold sensation. A small squeak emitted from her mouth. She touched her lips, surprised. Lukas laughed. After they bought some candy, he brought her to the Three Broomsticks, a pub. Unlike the Hog's Head, it looked much more warm and inviting. They went to a table in the corner. Lukas pulled out her chair for her.

"Thanks"

"You'll love this place. Everyone goes here"

A waitress in her late 20s walked over. He gave her a few silver coins for butterbeers. She flicked her wand, conjuring two mugs. Evani took a small sip. Lukas told her random stories about his years at Hogwarts. She laughed about a prank he pulled on Max and Roger in 4th year. He glanced at his watch.

"We should get going. It's already almost 7"

They walked towards the movie theater. It was considerably colder. Lukas put his jacket around her shoulders. She kissed his cheek.

"You're sweet"

The movie theater was packed. No one looked their age. They were all in their 20s and older.

"I got our tickets already. I thought it might be crowded"

He led her over to one of the doors. The sign read '_Horror movie marathon_'. Images from random horror films flashed across the sign. They sat in the back row. The theater was about two-thirds full. She expected most of them must be muggleborn.

"Do you know what movies they're playing?"

"No but I asked one of the employees. He said it would be some of the best. I'll go get us snacks"

"Don't take too long"

As Lukas left, Evani took out her compact mirror. She re-applied lip gloss and checked her appearance. Someone sat on the other side of her. To her surprise, she saw Draco, Seth, and Blaise. Draco was next to her.

"Hey Evie"

"Um…hi. What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

"Came to see a movie. What a coincidence that you're here too"

"Are you sure you're in the right place?"

"Of course. We like muggle movies, right?"

Seth and Blaise nodded. "Why are you sitting by yourself?"

"I'm here with Lukas"

She found something suspicious about their presence at the theater. Draco came from an extremely strict pureblood family. Evani did not expect him to be into anything related to the muggle world. Lukas returned to the theater and glared, seeing the three Slytherins.

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"No need to get angry, Hale. We're just here to see a movie"

"That's bullshit"

"Maybe you should go calm down. I'll keep Evie company while you cool off"

"You spend every day insulting muggleborns up at school. Why would you be watching a muggle movie?"

Draco simply shrugged. "New experiences"

"What are you playing at?"

"Nothing"

"Really? Cause there's seats all over and you pick the one conveniently next to Evie"

Lukas sat beside her with an annoyed expression. She touched his shoulder to comfort him.

"Lukas, it's nothing"

"He's up to something" he hissed.

"He won't cause any trouble. Did you get snacks?"

His anger softened, replaced with excitement. He had a bucket of popcorn. From his pocket, he took out a box of chocolate candy. She smiled, loving to mix candy into the popcorn. Lukas apparently did the same. He had other candy reminiscent of muggle movie theaters. It felt like she was back home. She poured the chocolate into the popcorn, shaking the bucket.

"So Malfoy, I had no idea that you and your friends were into muggle movies" said Lukas.

"Well we are. We got into it over the summer"

"What's your favorite? If you're into these, you have to like one above the rest. What is it?"

Draco looked a little fazed. Blaise scoffed.

"We just can't choose a favorite. They're all really good"

"Well that one with the…and then it…you know" said Draco.

"Not really" replied Lukas.

Evani stifled a giggle. She leaned her head on Lukas's shoulder. The marathon started up. _Nightmare on Elm Street_ was the first movie. Evani loved to watch horror movies, especially the older ones from the 70s and 80s. The marathon was extremely fun. Draco, Blaise, and Seth did not seem too into it. It made her question them being at the movie theater even more. She was having a lot of fun with Lukas. Like her, he loved horror movies. He even laughed at the gorier scenes while most people in the theater cringed. When they tried to get close, Draco would ask a random question or accidentally knock into her arm. She started to get annoyed, seeing through his act. They were on the final movie, _The Shining_, reaching almost 2 in the morning. Lukas's thumb was moving against her hand. Playfully, she brushed her foot against Lukas's leg. He looked at her.

"What?" she asked, innocently.

She got up. "I'll be right back"

Blaise looked ready to fall asleep. He covered his mouth, yawning.

"Maybe you guys should go back to the castle. You look bored"

"We're not. Blaise is just tired from…quidditch practice. Adrian worked us really hard" replied Draco.

She simply nodded, not believing him. As she moved along the row, she brushed her foot against Lukas again. She waited outside the room. Leaning against the wall, she glanced at her phone.

"3, 2, 1"

Lukas followed after her. "Are you getting annoyed with Malfoy too? Cause everytime that I"

She took his hand, pulling him towards the bathrooms. They went into the girl's bathroom and she locked the door with a charm. Pushing him against the wall, she kissed him. Lukas cupped her cheek with one hand. His other hand lifted her up. He put her against the wall. They made out for what seemed like hours. He kissed her neck, making her let out a soft moan.

"Lukas"

"I've wanted to do this for so long"

When they finally stopped, both were breathing heavily. "We should get back"

"What about Malfoy?"

"Who?"

He smiled. They returned to the castle. Lukas walked with her up to the Gryffindor common room.

"I had a really fun time, Lukas"

"Evie, wait. I—I know we've only really known eachother for barely a month but…I like you a lot. I was wondering if I could take you out again"

"I'd like to hang out"

"On a real date"

Her smile faltered. "I shouldn't have—I'm an idiot. I"

"No, Lukas, it's just…I'm not ready to commit to something like that"

"I understand. I don't want to pressure you. Just forget anything I said and"

She kissed him softly. He had a dazed expression on his face.

"Night, Lukas"

Evani entered the common room. Ginny and Serena were sitting on the couches.

"You're still up?"

"Waiting for you. It's already past 2"

Smiling, Ginny said "Someone had a good time"

"It was fun. It would've been more fun if someone wasn't there"

Evani sat on the couch. She mentioned Draco, Blaise, and Seth being at the theater. Serena rolled her eyes.

"Those idiots. Tell me they sat with you"

"Yea. Lukas was pretty annoyed. I think Draco was just being protective"

They looked at eachother. "Evie, he's jealous. He wanted to ruin your date"

"It wasn't a date. We were hanging out"

"He doesn't care. Draco doesn't want you around any guy but him. He thinks that every pretty girl should be his"

"I don't think he'd be like that"

"It's how he is"

"We just made out a little. He's overreacting"

Both of them smiled. Serena threw a pillow at her.

"Slut. You kissed Lukas?"

"Yea"

"How was he?"

"A really good kisser"

All three giggled. They stayed up in the common room, mainly talking about Lukas…

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to clarify that this story is going to have a relationship between Draco and Evani at some point. I think it's more realistic that they don't jump into a relationship after only a few months. Evani has said multiple times that she sees Draco and Harry as older brothers. The way I see it, her own brother has been so awful to her and she likes that they're protective, even if she won't admit it. With Lukas, it's more of a physical attraction though they have common interests and backgrounds. Right now, her feelings for Draco are more platonic but they'll develop as the story progresses. She isn't going to go from guy to guy either. Evani is constantly described as a beautiful girl, something that Draco knows. He's not the only one interested in her, which presents a challenge. This stirs up jealousy in him because he can see that guys like Lukas and Harry have something that he doesn't that Evani likes about them. There's a reason behind her flirtatious nature and why she's reluctant to settle into a relationship. This is how Evani differs from a girl like Pansy, who craves attention from a guy. **

**Thanks for all of the feedback so far.  
**


	41. Chapter 41: Suspicions

-Two days later- Evani was getting ready for classes. After tying a red ribbon in her hair, she went downstairs with Ginny. She stopped, seeing the staircase in the form of a slide. Ron was on his back by Harry's feet, panting lightly. Ginny shook her head.

"Does he ever think before he does something?"

Together, they slid down the stone slide. Evani crossed her arms.

"So you two were trying to see us naked?"

Ron got up, weakly. "N—no"

"Likely story, Weasley"

"I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories" said Harry.

"Why not? Girls are allowed in ours" said Ron, confused.

Evani explained the ancient rule from the beginnings of Hogwarts. Boys were seen as sneaky and distrustful. To keep them from corrupting the purity of girls, the founders placed a charm on the dormitory staircases. It prevented the boys from sneaking up to the girls' side. Ron found it insulting. Hermione was the next to slide down. The stairs reformed as she stood up.

"What were you two doing?" she asked the guys, reprovingly.

"You have to see this. Come on"

Evani followed them over to the noticeboard in the common room. The usual signs and posters were blocked by a large sign with a Ministry seal on the bottom. Without even reading it, Evani got a bad feeling. She looked it over.

The sign read '_All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge). No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled_. _The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four. Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor'_. Hermione and Evani glanced at each other. Ginny stared at the sign, wide-eyed.

"How does—she can't know about it" she whispered, lowering her voice around a small group of 1st years.

Once the 1st years walked away, Ron suggested that someone blabbed to Umbridge. His voice held an angry tone. Harry clenched his fists, thinking the same.

"No, they didn't"

"Evie, I know you believe the best in people but you can't be this naïve"

"Ron, no one told. We'd know if they did. Hermione and I put a jinx on the paper with their signatures. I put some of my—special magic into it"

"If someone told, we'd know exactly who it was and they would regret it" said Hermione.

They all left the common room, heading to breakfast. Ron questioned what would happen if someone spilled information about their secret group.

"It'll make acne look like a clean face" Evani replied, darkly.

Ginny headed towards the Ravenclaw common room. She wanted to warn Michael before he spoke to someone who was not at the meeting. Within a minute of entering the Hall, Evani could tell every common room had the same sign. There was a buzz of chatter about the new decree. Before they could barely sit at the Gryffindor table, Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Lee rushed over.

"Do you reckon she knows?"

"Are we still doing it?"

Harry nodded. "We're doing it. She won't stop us" he whispered.

Fred smiled. "Knew you'd say that, mate"

Kids from other tables began to come towards them. Evani knew it would look suspicious. None of them looked spotty. Hermione tried to get their attention to make them sit down. Pig, Ron's owl, had just flown down, excitedly.

"Bloody menace" hissed Ron, annoyed.

"Sit down" mouthed Hermione.

No one seemed to understand. Evani wrote a quick note on a piece of paper. She attached the paper to Pig's leg. Umbridge was scanning the Hall. Evani waved her hand over her plate. Umbridge's own plate rose up, hitting her face. Kids laughed under their breath. With Umbridge distracted, Evani grabbed Pig.

"Evie, what are you"

She threw the tiny owl hard, causing it to collide with Ernie's chest. He looked at the paper and nodded slightly. The other kids got the hint, returning to their tables. Pig flew back, landing on her hand and hooting happily.

"Bloody hell, Evie. You've got a good arm. You could be a chaser"

"I swear that people here have the IQ of a goldfish"

"Yes well at least they got the message" said Hermione.

After breakfast, they walked to History of Magic. Angelina stopped Harry and Ron, telling them that the new decree also affected quidditch teams. She needed to get Umbridge's permission to continue playing. They were sure that would be difficult. As Binns droned on about a giants war in the mountains of Italy, kids began to drop likes flies. Most had their heads down on the desks, sleeping. Binns did not even notice. Evani was distracted by a distressed hoot.

It came from one of the windows in the classroom. Hedwig was on the ledge, a letter wrapped around her left leg. Evani threw a paper ball at Harry's head. He turned to her. She pointed at the window. Anxiously, he snuck across the room, picking up Hedwig. When he returned to his seat, she saw that Hedwig's wing was injured. Some of the feathers had been bent at odd angles.

"She's hurt" he whispered.

Hedwig looked at Evani. She could feel the snowy owl's pain. It broke her heart.

"Professor Binns!" said Harry.

Binns glanced up from his notes. "I'm not feeling well"

"Not feeling well?"

"No. I think I need the hospital wing"

"Yes, yes…go on, Mister Perkins"

He continued to discuss a battle. Hedwig hooted dolefully at Evani.

"Evie, can you come too? I think Hedwig wants you to" he whispered.

Evani nodded, following him out of the classroom. Carefully, she took Hedwig from him. Harry asked if she could just fix her. Evani said it would be too suspicious. She could tell that someone attacked Hedwig, most likely to read Harry's letter. Together, they headed down to the staff room to find Grubbly-Plank.

"It'll be okay" she whispered, stroking Hedwig's head.

Two stone gargoyles stood guard. "You should be in class, kiddies"

"It's urgent"

"Oh, urgent, isn't it?"

"Let us in"

Harry knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing McGonagall. She looked alarmed at the sight of Harry.

"Potter, another detention?"

"No, professor"

"Then why are you and Miss Rybek out of class?"

"It's urgent, apparently" said one of the gargoyles.

"We were looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank. My owl's injured"

"Injured owl?"

Grubbly-Plank appeared beside McGonagall, holding a Daily Prophet. Harry told her about Hedwig flying up to the History of Magic classroom. Evani showed the injured wing.

"Hmm, something's attacked her, alright. Thestrals are known to go after birds but Hagrid's got this lot well trained"

She wondered what she meant by a thestral. Grubbly-Plank picked up Hedwig, inspecting the injury. Hedwig hooted, staring at Evani. Part of her wanted to just heal Hedwig herself. She knew McGonagall would flip out on her for using her advanced magic.

"How far has this owl traveled, Potter?"

"Uh…from London"

Harry did not meet McGonagall's eyes. She seemed to realize that he wrote to Sirius.

"Just leave her with me. I'll sort her out"

"Potter's letter, Wilhelmina" reminded McGonagall.

"Oh right"

Harry took the letter that had been tied to Hedwig's leg. Grubbly-Plank went back into the staff room.

"Potter, bear in mind that communications in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched, won't you?"

Before he could reply, the bell rang and kids filled the corridors. McGonagall returned to the staff room. Harry opened the letter.

"Is it from Sirius?"

"Yea. Tonight, same time, same place. He must mean the common room fireplace"

Ron and Hermione were waiting by the dungeons entrance. Hermione questioned if Hedwig would be alright. Harry nodded and told them about McGonagall's vague warning about communications at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione did not look too surprised.

"I was just telling Ron…what if someone tried to intercept Hedwig? She's never been hurt before"

"Who's the letter from?" asked Ron.

"Snuffles"

They looked over the short letter. "Same time, same place? Common room?"

"Obviously. I just hope no one else read this" said Hermione.

"Well it was sealed when I got it" replied Harry.

"I don't think it would be hard to reseal by magic"

"It's not like they'll know what it means"

The four of them walked down to the Potions classroom. Most kids were already waiting around. Evani could hear Seth bragging to Pansy and her clique. Draco was waving a slip of paper in his hand.

"Umbridge gave the Slytherin quidditch team permission to reform right away. We asked her this morning during breakfast"

"She knows my dad really well so it was easy. We'll see if Gryffindor gets to play though" said Draco, raising his voice.

She knew he wanted to annoy Ron and Harry. Both had their fists clenched. Ron looked ready to knock out Draco. It seemed that Draco forgot his promise to her about being civil with them. She reminded herself that it would take baby steps.

"Guys, don't let it get to you. Gryffindor will be able to play"

Draco, Blaise, and Seth smirked over at them. Evani grabbed hold of Harry's shirt sleeve.

"Don't"

"If it's a question of Ministry influence, they've got no chance. My father says they've been trying to sack Arthur Weasley for years…and as for Potter…he says it's only a matter of time before he's sent off to St. Mungo's. They've got a special ward for people whose brains are addled by magic"

The girls giggled snootily. Their behavior was disgusting. The guys made faces like a mental patient. Hermione looked sickened.

"Very mature" she whispered, sarcastically.

To their surprise, Neville pushed past Harry, trying to get at the Slytherins. Harry and Ron held him back as his fists flailed. She never saw Neville so angry. Entering his mind, she realized why he reacted like that. The Slytherins began laughing at the sight of Neville.

"Not…funny…Mungo's…show him" he muttered as Harry had one arm around his neck.

"Neville, mate, relax" said Ron.

"You've got a sick sense of humor, Malfoy" said Harry, glaring.

"Jealous, Potter?"

"Think your mom needs to go into that ward. I'd go mental having to raise a pathetic snot like you"

Draco's eyes narrowed. He took out his wand. Evani rushed over, creating a small shield between them.

"Guys, don't"

"Listen to her, Potter…or you'll end up in the hospital wing next"

The door to the classroom opened. Snape stepped out, noticing the commotion.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom? Ten points from Gryffindor"

"But sir" she started.

"Potter, release Longbottom or it's detention"

Harry let go of Neville, who was panting heavily. The other kids entered the classroom. Neville grabbed his bag, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Evani wanted to comfort him. She got distracted by the ensuing argument between Harry, Ron, and the Slytherins.

"Nice one, Gryffindorks" said Blaise.

"You're pathetic" said Draco.

Shadow stuck his head out of her bag. She did not realize that he snuck inside this morning. The stripes on his fur turned yellow. He looked between Harry and Draco. Harry snarled.

"Shut up, Malfoy"

"You're just complete lose" he started.

Suddenly, Shadow let out an enormous stream of electricity from his fur. Her eyes widened as it struck the Slytherins. They cried out in pain and crumpled to the floor. She pushed Shadow back into her bag. Hermione dragged her into the classroom.

"Evie" she hissed.

"It wasn't my fault. Shadow snuck into my bag. He must've thought Draco was threatening them. I've never seen him use that much power before"

"Did anyone see him?"

"I don't think so. What will they think happened?"

"Harry and Ron didn't have their wands out. The Slytherins can't prove anything. Keep him hidden"

Evani sat down, peeking into her bag. Shadow yipped happily. She pet his head.

"Shadow, you can't do that again"

Harry sat at their desk. He smiled down at Shadow.

"Nice one"

"Harry"

"Come on, they deserved it"

"Do they look okay?"

"Just disoriented. Goyle hit the wall a few times. The girls freaked out about their makeup"

"Why?"

The Slytherins entered the classroom. Draco kept twitching a bit. Kids were sniggering under their breath.

"Twitchy little ferret, huh, Malfoy?" said Seamus.

He glared at Seamus. When the girls walked in, she tried not to laugh. Their makeup was completely smudged. Pansy's eyeliner made her look like a raccoon. Tracey attempted to tame the frizziness in her hair. Harry snickered. The way the guys glared at Harry indicated they thought that he caused it.

"Harry, I'll tell them that I"

"No. Don't get yourself in trouble"

Umbridge was sitting in the corner, holding her clipboard. "You will notice that we have a guest today. Today, we will continue with our strengthening solutions. You will find your mixtures beside my desk as you left them. If correctly made, they should have matured well. Instructions" said Snape.

He flicked his wand. Instructions appeared on the board.

"Are on the board. Begin"

Evani grabbed both her and Harry's vials. Draco was beside her. His twitching had stopped. She reached for his hand.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, concerned.

"Funny that you think I have to be the civil one. Better tell Potter to watch his back"

"It wasn't him. He"

Before she could explain, he walked away. She returned to her desk and began following the instructions. Harry did not pay attention. He was too focused on Umbridge and Snape. As he tilted a vial, she stopped him.

"Harry, no"

"What?"

"It's salamander blood, not pomegranate juice. Pay attention to your potion. It's more important than some silly questions"

He ignored her, continuing to watch them. Umbridge was standing beside Snape as he inspected Dean's cauldron. She asked him simple questions.

"Well the class seems fairly advanced though I would question if it is advisable to teach them about strengthening solutions. I think the Ministry would prefer it was removed from the syllabus"

Snape turned to her. "How long have you been teaching here?"

"14 years"

Harry was so focused on their conversation that he poured the wrong ingredient into his cauldron. The potion turned from turquoise to orange. Evani tapped his arm.

"Harry"

"Shh"

She sighed and decided to take the Hermione route. If he wanted to not pay attention, he could fail on his own. It was like he did not even hear her.

"You applied first for the DADA post?"

"Yes"

"But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape's lip curled at this question. "Obviously"

"Do you know why Dumbledore has consistently refused you this position?"

"I suppose you should ask him"

"Oh I shall" she said, smiling.

Umbridge began to question Pansy and Daphne about the lessons. Evani got distracted by a putrid smell of burning rubber. Harry looked at his potion. It was congealing and releasing that odor. She held her breath to keep out the smell. Snape walked over to them, informing Harry that he would receive a zero. The potion vanished from his cauldron. Evani finally exhaled in relief.

"You will write me an essay on the composition, indicating how and why you went wrong. It will be handed in next lesson. Is that clear?"

"Yes" said Harry, tensely.

Snape passed over her potion with no comment. She gave Harry a sympathetic look.

"You tried to warn me. It's my own fault"

He decided to help her with her potion. As she added the powdered griffin claw, she started the final stirring.

"Miss Rybek"

Umbridge was beside her. Why would Umbridge question her about the class? She just started this year. A month was not long enough to know Snape well. Umbridge looked at her potion.

"You're very talented"

The compliment caught her off guard. "Thank you"

"I'm sure this potion is very simple for you, seeing as you learn it at Merlin Academy as just a 2nd year"

Hermione was watching Umbridge with a mistrustful look. Evani had forgotten that Dumbledore told the teachers that she transferred from Merlin Academy. It was mainly for those outside the Order, who did not know about Evani's actual situation. She nodded, playing along.

"Yea, it's easy"

"I'm quite curious. Why did you transfer?"

"I thought you were questioning us about the class" said Harry, accusingly.

Umbridge ignored him. Her gaze remained on Evani.

"My dad is building a new hotel in London and wanted to be closer to the construction"

"You must've been quite the student there since you were able to move up a year at Hogwarts. I couldn't find your records though, dear"

"I think Dumbledore has them. He looked them over and decided I could skip the year"

She silently hoped that Dumbledore faked these files. All she needed was Umbridge's snooping to ruin her cover. After a minute, Umbridge nodded.

"Then I will check with him"

Thankfully, the class ended. She handed in her completed potion to Snape and left the classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed.

"She knows something, Evie. She knows you didn't go to Merlin Academy" said Ron.

"It seemed that way. It's possible she saw the article about you in _The Chronicle_" said Hermione, alarmed.

"It's nothing"

"Evie"

"She can't prove anything. Even if Bass tells her that I'm some evil mastermind, they can't pull me out without real evidence. Let's not worry about it"

"But" started Harry.

"Not worrying"

Instead of the Great Hall, she went into the library…

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Review! :)**


	42. Chapter 42: Awkward Dinner

Instead of the Great Hall, she went into the library. She walked over to the magical creatures section. Skimming for a few minutes, she found the right book. It was called _A Guide to Dragons_. She took it off of the shelf and sat down at a secluded desk. Evani flipped through the book, trying to find information about dragon eggs.

"Typically, a high amount of heat is needed…eggs take months to hatch…types of dragon eggs"

She saw a picture that matched the eggs from the cave.

"Romanian Razortail. Extinct since the middle ages…no one knows how to breed them…all that remains are petrified eggs"

The book called the Romanian Razortail the most dangerous dragon breed in history. They were incredibly lethal and just one could burn an entire village within minutes. It claimed that no one could tame them except some ancient wizarding family. There were no pictures of the Razortail either. She remembered that her wand contained the heartstring of this dragon and Ollivander's story. The wand had to have been made before their extinction. As she continued reading, she spotted a hole in the page. Inside was a small journal. It looked extremely old.

She picked it up, feeling this surge of energy. Opening the journal, the initials '_OBP_' were written in a top corner. She flipped through it, realizing the owner of the journal had hatched these eggs. She hid the journal in her purse. Someone covered her eyes. She smelled a familiar cologne.

"Guess who"

Turning around, she saw Draco. He sat beside her.

"Hey"

She kissed his cheek, distracting him. Quickly, she made the dragon book vanish, replacing it with her Ancient Runes book. She pretended to be reading a chapter.

"So uh I guess your date with Hale went well"

"Draco, it wasn't a date"

"It wasn't?" he asked, sounding a little hopeful.

"We were just hanging out"

"Sure he knows that?"

"Yes, he does"

His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. She giggled.

"I'm trying to read"

"Ancient Runes is boring. I don't know why you're taking it"

"Why do you take Divinations?"

"Cause it's easy. Just tell Trelawney that you're going to suffer a horrific crisis and she gives you an O"

Playfully, she pushed his shoulder. She turned a page in the book. His hand slid up her thigh.

"Let me take you out"

"When?"

"Tonight? It'll be just you and me"

He kissed her hand lightly. She smiled.

"Alright. What should I wear?"

"It doesn't matter. You look beautiful in everything"

"Kiss up"

"It's the truth. You're perfect"

Her phone began to vibrate on the table. "Ignore it"

"It's probably my parents. I'll be right back"

She went outside the library. Putting the phone to her ear, she answered it. No one responded. A hand covered her mouth, pulling her into an empty corridor. She elbowed them hard, causing them to let go. James was holding his stomach. Her eyes widened.

"James, why are you here? How"

"I told Dumbledore that I'm an old friend and missed you. He said I could visit if I just informed him ahead of time"

"Well what are you doing here?"

"First, I have a message from Jayce. You've been ignoring him"

"I wonder why" she replied, sarcastically.

From his pocket, he took out a piece of paper and read from it. Jayce wanted her to forgive him. He claimed that he did not know Bass would hurt her. From their conversations, Bass made it seem like he would just take her into the wizarding world for a while. She scoffed, not believing one word. For all she knew, he made that up to get her home so Bass could snatch her. James doubted the authenticity of the letter too, though he said that Jayce seemed genuinely upset when they spoke.

"I want to know what you're hiding from me"

James looked reluctant. She crossed her arms, annoyed.

"James, we're supposed to be friends"

"We are"

"Then talk to me. I know you heard something when you spied on Bass"

After a minute, he sighed. He made sure no one was around to hear their conversation. Lowering his voice, he told her about the meeting. It was mainly about her and her hiding at Hogwarts. Though Declan had confidence that his school law would pass, Mr. Malfoy argued that Dumbledore would be prepared for that. James revealed to her that the other person with them was Voldemort himself.

"Why was he there?" she asked, curiously.

"Bass works for him. My grandfather always said he was aiding him in the first war but Bass avoided suspicion"

"Well what did they talk about?"

He got silent again. She stepped closer to James. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. It gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"James"

"You"

"W—what?"

"Bass is just working on his orders, Evie. He was furious that Bass lost you over the summer and said it shouldn't take this long to snatch a teenage girl"

"Why does he want me? How does he even know me?"

"I swear that I don't know. My mom got me so we could get lunch together before I could hear more… "

"Maybe you heard wrong"

Even as she said those words, she knew it was a lie. She did not understand what Voldemort wanted with her. He just got resurrected last summer. How could he know about her, except through Bass? She started to wonder if the Order was aware of it. When the guard came for Harry, did they lie about not knowing her? Snape served as a spy for the Order. They had to have some idea of Voldemort's secret plans. Her thoughts drifted to the day at the Hog's Head. The bartender told her not to trust even Dumbledore. Maybe he had been right. She was snapped out of her thoughts by James touching her shoulder. He promised to keep her safe and get as much information as possible.

"Evie?"

Draco appeared at the entrance to the corridor. He was holding her bag. His eyes rested on James.

"What's he doing here?"

"Just visiting. I should get going…have to practice for a gig"

James hugged her. "Don't tell anyone about what I told you, not even Harry. I don't know who you can trust yet" he whispered.

He left the corridor, heading towards the staircase. Evani felt numb inside. This completely threw her off. Before, she felt confident about how to handle Bass. Hearing that Voldemort was involved made things a million times worse. She had no clue how to deal with him. The man was the darkest wizard of all time. Harry said that he knew things beyond the typical wizard.

"Evie"

Draco was waving his hand in front of her face. He looked concerned. She took her bag from him.

"Are you alright?"

"James said my parents miss me a lot. I feel bad"

"Don't worry about it. You'll see them soon…when we have winter break"

Silently, she nodded. He offered to walk her to class. As he talked, she barely listened. She would give little nods and weak laughs if he said something funny. They went up the staircase towards the Ancient Runes classroom. She decided to focus on her night with Draco.

"Meet me after dinner outside the Great Hall"

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise"

After her last two classes and dinner, Evani waited by the double doors. She crinkled her nose, changing into a black long-sleeved mini dress with black lace heels. Draco left the Great Hall, looking more dressed up too.

"Do I look okay for this secret thing?"

"You look perfect"

Draco brought her out near the quidditch pitch. His broom, a _Nimbus 2001_ like Lukas's, was leaning against the stands. He put his hand over it. The broom rose a few feet into the air.

"I've never been on one"

"It won't bite. I'm an expert flyer"

Reluctantly, she sat on the broom. It was a strange feeling. Draco wrapped his arms around her from behind. The broom took off into the air, going at least 120 miles an hour. It slowed down after a few seconds. She was mesmerized by the night sky. The stars lit up and the moon shined brightly. Draco's hand caressed her side, making her giggle. They landed on the ground near a restaurant called _Chez Belle_. He placed his broom against a stand similar to a bike rack. He flicked his wand, creating a chain around the broom. She looked at the restaurant.

"This place looks really expensive"

"Price is no object when it comes to you"

He brought her inside. The restaurant was very classy with a French atmosphere. They got a table to themselves. She glanced over the menu. Draco was staring at it, blankly.

"Draco, are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm great"

"Do you come here a lot?"

"All the time"

"You don't know French, do you?"

"Pfft, of course I do. I just"

She raised an eyebrow at him. He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Not really"

She tapped the menu with her wand. It translated to English.

"Thanks" he said, his cheeks flushing light pink.

He looked at the menu. "These sounded a lot more appealing in French"

She giggled. "I like when you laugh"

"You're sweet"

"Evie, I"

"Draco?"

Evani looked to her right, seeing Mr. Malfoy with two other men. They were all wearing expensive business suits. She saw apprehension in Draco's eyes. He and his father appeared to have a tough relationship. Evani watched him, warily. Knowing that he was a death eater, he could know about Voldemort's plan to snatch her.

"Dad, what are you uh doing here?"

"Having a business dinner with Pierce and Mr. Dupont. You remember him, don't you?"

"Y—yea, of course. He's the—French Minister of Magic"

Around his father, Draco became this shell of himself. She sensed all kinds of fear from him. It was easy to see that his father intimidated him slightly.

"I think your son is on a little date" said Dupont, having a thick French accent.

Draco chuckled nervously. "D—date? No. We're just hanging out. Evie, this is my dad and Pansy's father. Evani just started at Hogwarts"

"Yes, the girl who won _Wizard Battle_ during the summer" said Mr. Parkinson.

Dupont looked impressed. Out of the three men, he had the most friendly appearance. She smiled politely.

"It's nice to meet you"

"Well you won't mind if we just join you. It would be easier than waiting for a table"

Mr. Malfoy waved his wand. Two tables slid over. One chair remained empty. Dupont sat beside her. Mr. Malfoy took the menu from Draco.

"I'm surprised you came here, Draco. Normally, your mother has to order for you like a little child"

Evani found him to be extremely rude. Draco blushed. Dupont told her that she was very impressive in the tournament.

"Yes, I'm sure everyone was surprised at your win…you've got quite the hidden talent" said Mr. Parkinson.

"Just luck"

"Oh don't be modest"

She had a feeling that Mr. Parkinson was a death eater too. Beneath his sleeve, she noticed a mark on his wrist. One of the waiters walked over to the tables.

"Are we all ready to order?"

"We're waiting on one but I'll simply order for him. He always gets the same. I think I'll have to order for my son as well"

She waited for Draco to defend himself. He remained quiet. All of them ordered their food. As the waiter walked towards the kitchens, Dupont praised her for her expert French.

"There you are, Declan"

She tensed up as Bass joined the table.

"You know how those trials can be…especially when they're clearly guilty but won't accept it"

Her fists clenched. It took all of her strength not to hurt him. She mentally told herself to keep calm. Her hands were feeling extremely warm. She noticed electricity sparking from her fingertips.

"Draco, this is Declan Bass. He's the American Minister of Magic"

Draco gave a small nod. "And this is one of my son's school friends, Evani. She just transferred to Hogwarts"

Mr. Malfoy looked at her. "I daresay you wouldn't have met before, considering you are muggleborn"

Evani and Bass locked eyes. Her nails dug so deep into her hands that it drew blood. She plastered on a fake smile.

"No, I haven't"

"All the way to Scotland when Merlin Academy is right near your home?" asked Bass.

"Yes, what a far travel. Why transfer?"

"Dad" started Draco.

"It's merely a question. Your friend can speak for herself, Draco"

She would not let any of them break her. Declan had the tiniest smirk on his face.

"My parents wanted a change of scenery"

"Well it must be hard not to see them, considering Hogwarts is a boarding school"

"They're perfectly fine"

Dupont shook his head. "Declan, don't interrogate the poor girl. We're here for business, no?"

The four men began to talk as the food appeared on the table. It was about some attack a few nights ago in Paris. From what she heard, it occurred in other cities.

"We cannot punish them for one mistake, Pierce" said Dupont.

"The whole lot of them are a mistake"

"It was a newborn. The maker abandoned him. Newborn vampires have a tough time adjusting"

Evani was far more interested in the conversation than Draco. She always wanted to meet a vampire. Her history text mentioned how they struggled for equal rights to wizards. She wondered if actual vampires were anything as portrayed in the muggle world.

"Fudge believes that it's becoming too dangerous, Christian. They need to be registered and monitored"

"I quite agree" said Bass.

She could not believe that they wanted to treat vampires like animals. They were no better than them. Every person and creature deserved to be treated with respect.

"I could never pass that law. The vampires have their own authority. It is their problem to handle" replied Dupont.

"I think that is so true. It would be like taking a wizard's magic away. Don't you agree, sir?" said Evani, turning to Bass.

His eyes narrowed slightly. She knew she struck a nerve. Dupont nodded.

"Absolutely, an abomination"

"It's so nice that you think everyone deserves respect. Just because they're not like us, it doesn't mean that you have the authority to control them like you own them. So many governments these days are corrupt"

Bass's glass, filled with wine, began to crack.

"You are trying to pass too many laws, Declan. First with the imprisonment of those purebred werewolves"

Her thoughts immediately went to Caleb. Did he want to get rid of him to prevent her from getting inside information?

"Then the schooling in the home country…we need to be united, not secluded from our foreign peers"

She suppressed a smile. Dupont was the first government official in this world that she liked. Towards the end of the meal, she went into the bathroom. She tousled her hair. As she looked for her lip gloss in her purse, someone forced her against the sink. Bass was behind her. She felt herself freeze up from a hex. He pushed her hair back, exposing her neck.

"Don't you look pretty for your little date?"

As she tried to move, she said "Get off"

His lips went close to her ear. "All of this animosity can be amended…if you just come home and cooperate. I only want what's best for you"

"You mean for yourself. I know who you're working for, you snake. So when did you become some lunatic's little bitch?"

Bass slammed her head into the mirror in front of her. It shattered, cutting her cheek. He ripped open the back of her dress. For some reason, he touched her back. His cold fingers made her shiver. Angrily, he dug his nails into her skin. She winced.

"Where is it? You're hiding it, aren't you?" he hissed.

Evani was confused. "Get off me!"

"Show it. I know it's there. He said it would be…he's never wrong"

"I said get off!"

Bass got thrown back against the wall. Her fists clenched. She could feel herself losing control. He chuckled.

"I must say, you've surprised me, Evani. You're far from the innocent girl everyone thinks you to be. Framing one of my men while you hurt that poor girl"

She glared. "I'll keep doing it until it's just you left"

He stepped closer. She was backed up against the sink. He tilted her chin up.

"He's growing restless, you know. It's only a matter of time before the Dark Lord himself comes for you. You may be a powerful witch but you're no match for him"

"I'm not scared of him"

"That little tough girl act is adorable. Keep telling yourself that. Soon enough, everyone will see exactly what you are, Evani. You're just like him. Dumbledore knows it. He thinks he can make up for his mistakes through you…but he's too late"

Evani was silent. His lips moved close to her ear.

"It's just as Wiley reported. You're a future dark witch"

She slammed his head into the sink. Bass fell unconscious. She saw a deep gash across her cheek. Using magic, she fixed the cut and her dress. She left the bathroom. Bass's words shook her up. She tried to push them out of her head as she returned to the table. Only Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Parkinson were there.

"Here you are. Draco is just helping Christian get to his car"

"I'll meet him out there"

"No need. It will be a while"

"It's fine"

Evani grabbed her coat. As she turned around, she bumped into Mr. Malfoy.

"Is something the matter, Evani?"

"No"

"My son seems very taken with you. I do wish we could get to know each other better"

"I don't need to know anymore about you. You're a bully. You're pathetic and cruel, treating your son like dirt and kissing up to some psychopath who will lose just like he did last time"

Both men chuckled softly. Mr. Malfoy had this mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"He's very interested in seeing you face to face. He knows exactly what you are and soon enough, you will join him"

Her eyes narrowed. She pushed past him and left the restaurant. Draco was by a limo, putting a suitcase in the backseat. He shut the door. As the limo drove off, she went over to him. He gave her an apologetic look.

"Evie, I'm really sorry"

"Draco"

"I didn't think my dad would be there. He usually does meetings at his office. He ruined everything"

"He didn't"

"Yes, he did. This night was a disaster"

"It wasn't. We have months to hang out. One night won't change that"

With his wand, he summoned his broom. They flew back towards the castle. After about 20 minutes, they landed by the entrance courtyard. Draco made his broom vanish. He walked her back to the common room. She hugged him.

"Thanks for tonight. It was fun…before your dad crashed"

Evani kissed his cheek. "Next time, I pick where we hang out and I'll make sure it's in a language that you understand"

He playfully glared. Before he left, she grabbed his hand. He turned to her.

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

"You can come back to my room"

"I don't think I like the idea of being near Seth"

She opened the portrait. As they entered the common room, it was very awkward. Kids blatantly stared. They whispered to each other, mainly about a Slytherin in the room. Everyone knew Draco's reputation. Ignoring them, she brought up to the girls' dormitories. Instead of her room, she went over to an empty room at the end of the hallway. It was in the same style as the other rooms but with a single bed. She magically locked the door. Draco smiled.

"Well that couldn't have been any less awkward" he joked.

She nodded, going into the bathroom. Silently, she took off her earrings. Bass's words kept ringing in her head. Tears brimmed her eyes. She used a tissue to wipe them away. As she washed her face, she felt a strange sensation on her shoulder. It was as if someone touched her but no one was there. The sensation moved along her back. Suddenly, her back seared with pain. It was excruciating, making it difficult to even stand. She turned her back towards the mirror. It was bare as usual. She saw a pair of red eyes in the mirror. They had an entrancing effect.

"Come to me. Come"

"Evie? Evie!"

Her eyes fluttered. She found herself standing on the window ledge with the window open. Draco was holding her arm. He pulled her down, looking worried.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"What?"

"You almost fell out that window"

"I don't..."

Draco glanced around the bathroom. "Probably some spell in here by Emily and Spencer. They're like Pansy's little minions"

He brought her back into the room. She felt light-headed. He asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital wing. She shook her head. The back of his hand brushed against her face. His eyes widened.

"Evie, you're burning up"

"I feel fine"

"You should rest. I'll stay with you"

"You don't have to"

"I want to"

She leaned her head against his chest. His arm moved around her waist. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt him kiss her forehead…

* * *

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	43. Chapter 43: The DA Meeting

-Two days later- Ever since the dinner with Draco, Evani had a lot on her mind. Bass's words were far from forgotten. Though she wanted to talk to someone like Dumbledore, James's warning stopped her. She was unsure of who she could trust. Her friends would never understand the severity of the situation, even Harry. It made things worse that she had to keep all of these thoughts bottled up. She told James what had happened. When she brought up the incident in the bathroom, where she almost jumped from a window, he thought the same as Draco. He assumed that it was a prank. Evani had a much darker opinion, thinking Voldemort had been attempting to control her. The night of the dinner, Sirius spoke with Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the fireplace. It turned out that the Order knew about it. Mundungus had been hiding in the bar, disguised as the witch under the veil. Mrs. Weasley was highly against it, imploring them not to start trouble. Sirius had a very different reaction. He thought it was a great idea, even with the chance of being expelled. His approval made Hermione less reluctant to do the lessons. Her paranoia got worse when Umbridge almost caught Sirius in the flames.

The fact that she had been aware of his presence made them think that Umbridge was the one to attack Hedwig. With Umbridge's new decree, they knew it would be important to find a well-hidden place. Evani was waiting outside the Slytherin common room with Ginny. Late last night, Harry figured out a spot to have the secret defense meetings. Dobby, a house-elf that used to work for the Malfoys until Harry freed him in his 2nd year, met him while Harry was working on a Charms essay. He told Harry about room on the 7th floor called the Room of Requirement. The room changed its contents based on the seeker's needs. Harry assuaged Hermione's concerns by telling her that Dumbledore mentioned it to him in passing at the Yule Ball last year. Evani glanced at her phone. It was ten minutes until the meeting. Giving the password, she made the wall open. They entered the common room. Serena was glaring at Seth, who was on the couches with his friends. The two siblings argued back and forth.

"You better tell me or he'll force it out of you"

"I didn't do anything"

"He knows you were in there"

"We weren't. You just want to be a huge kiss-up as always"

"Serena" started Draco.

"Stay out of it. You're no better"

She noticed Evani and Ginny by the doorway. The guys looked over the couch. There was a large amount of tension. They had interrupted a very heated argument.

"Hey Evie" said Adrian.

"Hey…are we interrupting?"

"No, Seth and Serena were just talking"

Serena's expression said different. She looked ready to turn Seth into a bug and squash him. Evani nodded.

"Well we're here to get her"

"Why don't you hang out here?"

"Yea, there's stuff to do" said Cole.

Ginny crossed her arms. "Why would we hang out with you filthy prats?"

Evani nudged her side. She did not want them fighting. Seth was staring at Evani. It made her uncomfortable. He feigned an innocent expression. She easily saw through his act. He asked Serena where they were going so late at night.

"Hogsmeade" said Serena.

Seth scoffed. "You're not allowed out"

"Like you don't sneak out every night?"

"We can go too" said Draco.

Evani was unsure why they wanted to hang out so badly. She sensed that they had ulterior motives. Behind their backs, Serena shook her head slightly. Evani pouted.

"I don't think you'd be into shopping, Draco...unless you have a secret desire to dress up like a girl. Whatever your life choice, I respect it. I'll bring back some cute dresses for you to show off those legs"

He playfully glared. Seth was gripping the back of the couch tightly, causing an indent. Serena followed Evani and Ginny out of the common room. They walked up the staircase. Ginny questioned her about the argument. Serena looked anxious.

"Evie, did you see anything weird in that cave?"

"Why?"

She twirled a piece of her hair around her finger, biting her lip. "Because my dad knows we went into the forest"

"Your dad? How would"

"We can talk about it after the meeting but he knows. He wanted to know how we got inside and I told him that we didn't. I think he has spies in the forest… rogue werewolves and vampires probably. He wants something behind that wall and I think it has to do with the cave"

Evani looked at her, strangely. Why would her father have spies in the forest? Did he work as a death eater? Considering Seth's horrid attitude, she found it to be a likely possibility. It surprised her that other people knew about that cave. As they reached the 7th floor, Serena sighed.

"Seth just wants to be my dad's lapdog. His nose is so far up his ass. I didn't tell them how we got past it. All he knows is that we did somehow"

Before Evani could question her more, someone lifted her up from behind. It was Lukas.

"Got you"

She giggled. "So you know how to get to this place?" asked Max.

"Yea. It's across the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy"

"I've never seen a door there"

She shrugged. From what Harry learned from Dobby, she assumed the room must have some magical property. It was possible that the room only appeared to those who knew about it. Turning the corner, she saw the colorful tapestry of a wizard teaching trolls to do ballet. There was a wooden door on the opposite wall. Evani opened the door, seeing an enormous room filled with bookshelves, cushions, and couches. She smiled.

"Wow" said Serena, amazed.

Everyone else was waiting in the room. Harry walked over to them.

"Glad you guys found it okay"

"How did you find this place?" asked Lukas, glancing around.

"One of the house-elves told me about it"

"It's great"

Dean picked up a spinning glass top off of a table. There were a few of them beside a medium-sized mirror. Harry called them sneakoscopes. If someone acted dishonest, the top would light up, spin, and make noise. The mirror was a foe glass, able to reflect enemies. As the enemies got closer to the owner, the images become more visible. She glanced at the foe glass. There were multiple shadowy figures. Harry looked around at everyone.

"So I'm glad you all got here. I was thinking of some things we could do first and um" he said, sounding a bit nervous.

Hermione raised her hand. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we should elect a leader"

"Harry's the leader" replied Evani, not seeing anyone else in the role.

She made them vote on it to make it official. All of them put a hand in the air though Zacharias did it reluctantly. Evani knew he might be a problem in the group.

"And we need a name"

Kids came up with random names. "How about the Defense Association? We can call it the DA for short" said Cho.

"Yea, then no one outside of us would know what it means. But let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army. That's what the Ministry's afraid of, isn't it?" suggested Evani.

Ginny nodded. "I like that one"

"All in favor of the DA?" asked Hermione.

Again, everyone raised their hands. She wrote the name on top of the list with their names. Taking the paper, she pinned it to the wall. Hermione sat back down on one of the cushions. Harry still looked a bit nervous. Evani gave him an encouraging smile.

"So I was thinking we could start with Expelliarmus, the uh disarming charm. I know it's basic but I find it really useful to" said Harry.

Zacharias interrupted him with a loud scoff. He rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Oh please. I doubt that will help us against You Know Who"

"It saved my life last June. But if you think it's beneath you, you can go"

Zacharias stayed beside Justin, remaining silent. A dummy in the shape of a death eater appeared near Harry. One of its arm rose up, holding a wand. Harry wanted them to practice one-on-one with the dummy to assess their current skill. They formed a single line. Neville was the first to go.

"This'll be a disaster" Evani smacked Max's arm.

"Hey, we all are thinking it"

"Max, be quiet" said Lukas.

Next to Harry, Neville looked tense. His hand was shaking slightly. Harry gave him a small nod. Neville raised his wand.

"E—expelliarmus" he stuttered.

His wand shot back. They ducked, letting it hit the wall. Neville blushed, embarassed.

"I'm hopeless"

"You're just flourishing your wand too much. It's like this"

Harry made a small circular motion with his wand. "Expelliarmus"

The dummy's wand flew out of its hand. Each person went up against the dummy. To her surprise, most were pretty awful. She liked that Harry wanted to start with a basic defense spell. Basics were always important before learning advanced material. This first lesson alone showed that they were not perfect with even the simplest spell. She did not expect kids to have trouble yet. It meant that Harry had lot of work to do. Evani was the last to face the dummy. She circled her wand.

"Expelliarmus"

The wand flew from its hand within a split second. "Great job, Evie. In a a duel, your opponent won't be still. They'll keep moving so to make it more realistic, I think we should pair up and try to disarm eachother to get a real feel for the spell"

Evani paired up with Serena. Ginny and Michael were next to them.

"You better not hurt her, Michael. If you do, you mess with us"

The three girls giggled. Michael took the warning seriously, not looking reluctant to disarm Ginny. Everyone began to practice the spell. After a while, Serena and Evani just kept disarming eachother in short intervals. When one lost their wand, they would call it back and disarm the other. Serena just knocked out her wand. Evani's wand zoomed back to her. Not even saying the incantation, she just did a circular motion. Serena's wand fell behind her. Zacharias kept losing his wand though Anthony said nothing. Evani noticed Fred and George disarming him behind their backs.

"Should we?"

Serena nodded. Both used the spell on the twins. Their wands flew up into the air.

"Hey, that's not nice" said Fred.

They stuck their tongues out at him. Harry walked over to them.

"I think you two have it down. Go sit while the rest practice"

Evani and Serena sat on one of the couches. As Harry passed Cho and Marietta, Cho messed up, setting Marietta's sleeve on fire. Marietta freaked out and doused the flames with her wand. She glared at Harry.

"They're so cute"

"Who, Cho and Marietta? I don't think they play for that team"

"No, Cho and Harry"

Serena looked at her. "I'm going to get them together"

"Evie, I don't think"

Evani could tell that he liked Cho. They would be an adorable couple. She told Serena that Harry had wanted to ask Cho to the Yule Ball last year until Cedric beat him to it. Those feelings would not just go away. Serena looked a bit reluctant.

"Maybe he likes someone else"

Around 9, Harry stopped the practice and the last few spells were cast. "That was good but it's getting late. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner" replied Dean, eagerly.

"Wait, we have quidditch practices. The season starts soon" said Angelina.

"Let's just say next Wednesday night then" suggested Harry.

Harry took out the Marauder's map to check for any teachers. He sent kids out in small groups. Ginny left with Michael and the other Ravenclaws. Evani walked Serena back towards the dungeons.

"So you want to finish our talk before the meeting?"

"I haven't been honest. My dad's"

"A death eater"

Serena looked at her. "It's kind of obvious, Serena. No offense but it just seems like most of them were Slytherins…and Seth has to get his nasty attitude from someone"

"Yea, he is one. He helps with that stuff"

There was a strange tone to her voice. Evani ignored it and listened to Serena talk about her father. He was very distant and cold. It turned out that he always left for business trips, leaving the family alone for a long time. He showed blatant favoritism to Seth. When it came to Serena, he saw her as a disappointment. He barely even spoke to her except to give some harsh criticism. She hated that her mother blindly adored him though to Serena, it was obvious that he never loved her. Their marriage appeared to be one of convenience. Mr. Burke just used her schoolgirl crush on him to his advantage, having a pretty trophy wife by his side. Seth idolized his father, wanting to be the best.

"You don't care?"

"Family doesn't define you, Serena. Look at my brother"

She sighed, leaning against the wall that led to the common room. "Seth is his perfect son and he wants to make that snake proud. He's practically begging for the Dark Mark"

"Serena, why does he want to get into the cave?"

With a shrug, she replied, "He questioned me last night. There was a death eater meeting. Dad never makes me go but he forced me this time. He asked about a stupid pendant. It probably has dark magic"

Evani remembered seeing a necklace among the items in the cave. She did not want Serena's father to hurt her. Crinkling her nose, she conjured the necklace. It had a silver-chain with a sapphire gem hanging from the middle. The gem was engraved with the symbol of a dragon. She put it in a pouch and gave it to Serena.

"Evie"

"I don't want him to hurt you, Serena. It's just a necklace. You're my friend…you're important to me"

"What if it hurts someone like Harry or Dumbledore?"

"I think it'll take more than some dinky necklace to kill Dumbledore. I won't tell anyone about your dad. Your secret's safe with me"

Serena hugged her. "Thanks. You're a good friend"

Evani returned to the common room...

~Draco~

Draco was standing by the fireplace in the common room. He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his suit. A small group of guys, including his friends, were with him, waiting around silently. Seth got impatient. He walked over to the staircase leading to the dormitories.

"Blaise, stop playing around with Daphne and get down here!"

After a few minutes, Blaise emerged from the stairs, his shirt messily buttoned. The girls followed behind him. Daphne continued to kiss him, letting his hand travel up her skirt. Seth rolled his eyes. Pansy went over to Draco. Pouting, she made tiny circles on his suit with her finger.

"Do you have to go?"

"Pansy, these meetings are important. He might give us assignments"

"That would be exciting. It would mean he trusts you"

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the fireplace. The girls had no idea what these meetings were like or what happened for the few hours they left the castle. Her lips pressed against his softly. He felt nothing. His father always told him to play along with Pansy's affections in the event of an arranged marriage. Before, he had no problem with it. Pansy adored him and did not object when Draco wanted to go further. Things had changed now. When they were alone, he would just imagine Evani in her place. Daphne heard gossip that she had hooked up with Hale at the movie theater. It both infuriated and confused Draco. Evani claimed that it was not a date but he hated that any sort of kiss happened. Hale did not deserve someone like her. Draco often wondered what kissing her would feel like and it was hard not to just try it when they were alone. He opened his eyes. For a second, he saw Evani in front of him. Pansy replaced her, smiling. The wall to the common room slid open.

Serena entered the common room. Draco found it suspicious that she had no bags with her from shopping. Seth walked over to her.

"No bags?"

"We were just looking around. Don't we have a meeting to go to, Seth?"

"Maybe I couldn't get you to talk but Dad will. Bet he uses the cruciatus curse"

She scoffed. "No need. I have what he wanted"

Seth looked a bit surprised. He crossed his arms.

"Really? Not some trick?"

"Nope. Let's go"

Draco followed them down to Hogsmeade. Adrian and the other 7th years apparated them to Draco's manor. They went into the dining room where men already sat at the table, including his father, Snape, and Voldemort. His father was speaking with Declan. At his dinner with Evani, Draco had to pretend that he never met Declan before. Draco found him to be just as sadistic and cruel as his aunt Bellatrix. He sat on the other side of his father.

"Draco, you were nearly late"

"We had to wait for Serena, father"

"That girl needs discipline"

Draco simply nodded. Seth and Serena were sitting to the right of Voldemort. Serena rarely attended the meetings. At most, she stayed for a few minutes. Once everyone arrived, the meeting started. Various men gave updates on their assignments. Voldemort turned to Serena.

"I assume since you're here, you think I won't be disappointed with you for once. I highly doubt it"

A few men chuckled. Serena glared. She took out a small pouch and pushed it over to him. Voldemort opened it. A necklace fell onto the table. Draco looked at it, curiously. Was this what he wanted from the cave? Serena got up from the chair. She winced in pain, being forced to sit back down.

"Did I dismiss you, Serena?"

"I got what you wanted. Why"

"You did, which means you lied when we last spoke. You told me you had not been in the cave"

Seth suppressed a smirk. He was anticipating Serena getting tortured for lying to their father. She remained silent.

"I wasn't"

"Do not lie to me. How did you get past the wall?"

"For the hundredth time, there were runes and when they got translated, the wall opened"

"I've had it inspected many times, even during my days at Hogwarts. There were never any runes"

"Well maybe you missed them"

His eyes narrowed. Serena never learned to just be obedient. Lately, she had been even more outspoken. Draco was sure that Evani helped with her gaining more confidence.

"I wasn't in the cave. Evie went in but" she started.

"Your new friend. Why didn't you follow?"

Serena seemed reluctant to talk. Across from her, Snape gave her a small pleading look. He did not want her to get in further trouble. She sighed.

"We couldn't. She went in and this shield went over the cave"

"How intriguing…and she's the one who proposed this little trip?"

"She's an adventurous person. I don't know anything else. Can I go?"

Voldemort was staring at her, possibly reading her mind for any lies. After a minute, he gave a curt nod. He told her that this discussion would continue later. Rolling her eyes, she stood up and left the dining room.

"Serena could be going back there, father. She left the common room earlier tonight with the Weasley girl and the mudblood"

Draco's fists clenched under the table. He disliked when Seth called Evani that word in private.

"She said they were shopping but she didn't buy anything. I know her...she wouldn't come back empty-handed"

"I want you and the boys to keep a close eye on her, Seth"

"Yes, sir"

Draco wondered if this was about more than just some cave. The meeting continued for the next few hours…

* * *

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	44. Chapter 44: Draco's mistake

-November- Over the past few weeks, the DA meetings were becoming a huge success. Each meeting showed more improvement. Neville was doing better and could almost disarm someone completely. It turned out that Ginny could perform a strong reductor curse, able to reduce a table into dust. Umbridge had sent Filch to spy on them. Luckily, Harry could use his Marauder's Map to know where he hid. It was easy to sneak out of the room without Filch knowing. As October ended, the quidditch season revved up. Quidditch was an intense sport at Hogwarts. It reminded Evani of football games at her old school. Everyone, from students to teachers, got into the competitive spirit. The first game of the season would be Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Considering their rivalry, it was unsurprising that both houses engaged in harsh insults and teasing.

Ron became the main target for the Slytherins. He had a tough time ignoring them. Though Draco had promised to be nicer to Harry, quidditch made him even more cruel. After a while, she stopped trying to get involved in their fights. Hermione said it would die down after the match. There were constant reports of Slytherins hexing members of the Gryffindor team, such as Graham hitting Alicia with a hex that caused her eyebrows to grow over her eyes. McGonagall and Snape became heated in competition as well, favoring their respective houses. While everyone focused on quidditch, Evani became obsessed with the mysterious dragon journal. She spent a lot of time with it, reading about the owner's training of the Razortails. There were only some notes on how to hatch the eggs. She found it all fascinating. Sometimes, it was impossible to put the journal down. She felt drawn to its contents. Each night, she would inspect the dragon eggs, feeling heart beats and hearing soft noises.

Evani was walking out to the Entrance courtyard. The weather here tended to be much colder than Texas. She hugged her coat to her for warmth and walked down to the Black Lake. Everyone else was busy eating breakfast. She sat near the edge of the lake, taking out the journal and one of the dragon eggs from her bag. Flipping open the journal, she stopped at one of the last few pages. There were drawings of Razortail eggs and some notes.

"Hatched in a mixture of the elements…intense heat"

She turned the page. There were no other writings in the journal. She put it back into her bag and placed the egg on the ground. Evani sat for a few minutes, touching the egg. She moved her hand over the sand near the edge of the lake. The sand turned to glass and pieced together, creating a holder for the egg. She carefully put the egg into the holder. Her hands rested on both sides of the egg. She closed her eyes. Something inside her controlled her every thought. She felt her hands become extremely hot. As she pulled her hand back, she saw the egg surrounded by a horizontal ring of fire. Vertically, a ring of water swirled around the egg. Pieces of stones and a quick burst of air moved diagonally. All four elements crossed each other. It created a golden glow on the egg and the glass multiplied, encasing the egg completely.

She heard kids leaving the castle. Crinkling her nose, she made the egg vanish, hiding it under her bed. Kids began to walk down to the quidditch pitch. She followed them, blending into the crowd. Before the game started, she wanted to wish the team luck. She walked towards the locker rooms. Fred was putting on his shirt while George had a towel around his waist. They noticed her by the doorway.

"A girl in the locker room? This is a first, Fred"

"That it is, George. Luckily, it's a very sexy girl"

Evani crossed her arms. "You just cannot keep those pants on, can you, George Weasley?"

He smiled. "It's really hard. Want to see under the towel?"

"I am curious to see if the carpet matches the drapes" she joked.

Fred and George laughed. Harry chucked a towel at her. She caught it before it hit her face.

"You have a very sick mind"

"Being brought up by my dad, you'd understand why"

"So Evie, just in case ickle Ronniekins does awful today..."

Ron glared at Fred. His face turned a light shade of pink as he put on his keeper gear.

"We were thinking you could use your special magic to ensure we win against evil Slytherin"

"That's cheating"

"Not when they deserve it"

"Sorry but you have to win on your own"

Rolling up the towel, she hit Fred from behind. He gasped.

"Evie, we have to hide this relationship. Save that for the bedroom"

"I can't help it. I want you, I need you, oh baby"

Harry shook his head at her. They left the locker room. Ginny and Serena were waiting outside. The Slytherin team left their locker room at the same time. They all had on these silver badges. Looking at Adrian's, she read '_Weasley is our king_'. She knew it could mean nothing good. They were really trying to scare Ron. She decided to teach them a lesson. Evani happened to be extremely competitive. Her family taught her to always be the best. Though she was friends with some Slytherins, her house was Gryffindor. She would ensure that her house won the match.

"Good luck, boys"

Standing on her tippy toes, she kissed Fred and George on the cheek. They smiled. She went over to Harry.

"You better get that snitch or you're in trouble" she whispered.

He chuckled. "Think I can do that"

"Good luck, hero"

She kissed him a centimeter away from his lips. Ron looked the most nervous. She could hear all of his anxious thoughts.

"You'll be great, Ron. I know you're amazing"

Evani kissed him on the lips for a few seconds. Ron's entire face turned purple. His mouth hung open. He stumbled back a bit. All of the guys had mixed expressions of shock and confusion. With a wink, she left the room with Ginny and Serena. Both were silent. Ginny looked ready to puke.

"Evie…are you into Ron?" asked Ginny, disgusted.

"No"

"But you"

"My kisses are magical"

"What are you talking about?"

Evani explained a ritual she did for her guy friends before every sports game. It started during 4th grade. Her friend Ryder had been nervous about a soccer championship match. She kissed him right before the game and he played amazingly. It turned into a constant thing. She thought that getting the kiss just boosted their confidence. The girls looked skeptical.

"Well Ron looked ready to faint. He might not even be able to play"

Together, the three of them sat in the stands with Colin and Keith. Luna walked over, wearing a life-sized hat in the form of a lion.

"Weirdo" muttered Keith.

"Nice hat, Luna"

"Thank you. I wanted it to have a snake in its mouth to represent Slytherin but there wasn't enough time"

"I think that makes a perfect statement"

"I hope Gryffindor wins" said Colin, holding his camera.

"Apparently, the idiots wrote a song to insult Ron" said Serena.

Evani looked at her. "A song?"

"Yea. It's really mean"

Keith expressed relief that Seth finally got banned from the team. Apparently, he was a very aggressive player. Last year alone, he put ten kids in the hospital wing. Cole took his place as chaser. Both teams, Gryffindor and Slytherin, walked onto the pitch. Hooch had Graham and Angelina shake hands. Once they got into the air, the game started. It was extremely intense. Ginny told her that games between Slytherin and Gryffindor had the most violence due to the rivalry. It would make for a great match. Adrian stole the quaffle from Katie. Evani watched as he, Cole, and Graham sped down the pitch.

"Come on, Ron! You can do it!"

Ron looked at Evani from the center hoop. She smiled.

"You got this" she mouthed.

He nodded slightly. Adrian chucked the quaffle. It was zooming towards the right hoop. Ron caught it at the last second. Everyone in Gryffindor cheered.

"That was an awesome catch" said Dean.

Ginny and Serena looked at each other, remembering Evani's story. Ron threw the quaffle over to Angelina. As the game continued, Ron did fantastic. He stopped all of the quaffles that came near him.

"And Alicia goes down the pitch with the quaffle. Just listen to the crowd. Wait, what're they singing?" said Lee from the commentator's stand.

Suddenly, Evani heard loud singing. It came from the Slytherin stands. Serena shook her head. Evani listened to the song.

"Weasley cannot save a thing. He cannot block a single ring. That's why Slytherins all sing: Weasley is our king"

She was disgusted with their lyrics. The Slytherins had a bad attitude. It started to affect Ron. As Graham threw the quaffle, Ron missed it by a few inches. The Slytherins cheered as they scored.

"Evie, I thought your kiss would help" whispered Ginny.

"The singing is affecting his focus"

"I'll knock out the Slytherins. Then the teams will take a time-out and you go make out with Ron for ten minutes"

"Um…why do you want her to kiss Ron?" asked Keith, confused.

"Because her kisses are magical. If she kisses him, he'll be a better keeper"

"Girls are mental" he muttered to Colin, shaking his head.

Their singing got much louder. Evani glared as Pansy acted like a little conductor. Seamus stopped her from hexing the pug. He warned her to not get involved. Evani could not believe that the Slytherins could openly insult Ron like that. It was outright bullying. The song targeted only him. With the loud singing, Ron was unable to concentrate. He kept letting in goals. Evani felt terrible. She took off her coat, deciding to use her back-up plan. Adrian was moving towards Ron with the quaffle. Fred struck a bludger at him. He narrowly missed it. As he passed the Gryffindor stands, Evani leaned forward, exposing her chest more. It easily distracted Adrian. Angelina stole the quaffle from him. Even with her sex appeal strategy, it was not enough to help Ron. The Slytherins led by only 30 points. Harry and Draco were still searching for the snitch. Aria noticed it by the Slytherin stands.

"Harry!"

He looked over at her. She nodded her head in the direction of the snitch.

With a small smile, he mouthed, "Thanks"

Draco was watching her, easily figuring out her hint too. Both zoomed towards the snitch. They were neck and neck. All of the Gryffindors cheered when Harry grabbed the snitch.

"Awesome catch, Harry!"

"Gryffindor wins!" shouted Lee.

Evani's eyes widened when Crabbe hit a bludger at Harry. It struck his back, causing him to fly off of his broom. Most of the Slytherins laughed nastily.

"Ugh, talk about sore losers" said Serena.

Concerned, Evani ran down from the stands. She rushed to Harry's side, helping him up. He was a bit disoriented.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"Yea. I think so"

"It was Crabbe. He hit you when he saw you got the snitch"

Hooch was lecturing Crabbe a few feet away. He did not even look remorseful. Ignoring it, she hugged Harry.

"You were so awesome"

"All because of you. You helped me find the snitch"

"You won because you're an amazing seeker"

He blushed. The rest of the team congratulated Harry. She heard a loud scoff. Draco got off of his broom, landing near Seth and Blaise. To say they looked angry was an understatement.

"Guess you saved Weasley's neck like always, Potter. I've never seen a worse keeper. Did you like my lyrics?"

Evani rolled her eyes. She was expecting them to instigate a fight. They could not let Gryffindor celebrate their victory.

"We wanted to write more verses but we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly…for his mom, you know"

Her eyes widened in shock. Mrs. Weasley was extremely kind and caring. He had no reason to insult her. Angelina looked over at them, disgusted.

"Talk about sour grapes"

Evani kept Harry distracted. She turned him towards her.

"Don't let him spoil this. Just ignore him. It doesn't take away from this win"

"You're right. It's just words" he replied, though he looked ready to hex Draco.

"We couldn't fit in useless loser either…for his father, you know" said Blaise.

Overhearing, Fred and George glared. Angelina held onto Fred's arm.

"Fred, don't. They're just mad that they lost"

Harry was keeping George restrained.

"But you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter? Spending holidays there and all. Can't see how you stand the stink but I suppose when you've been brought up by muggles, even the Weasley shed smells great" said Draco.

Evani felt repulsed. He basically insulted all muggles, which included her. It took Angelina, Katie, and Alicia to hold Fred back. Draco smirked. His eyes gleamed with malice.

"Or maybe you can remember what your mom's house stank like and the Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it"

Evani was horrified by Draco's words. How could he say that about a person's dead mother? Evani put up a small force field to keep George and Harry back.

"Evie, let us get him"

"No. Stay here"

She went over to the three Slytherins. "Draco, apologize"

"Need a little girl to defend you, Potter?" sneered Seth.

"Stop it. I get that you're upset that you lost but you can't say things like"

"Stay out of it,Evie"

Draco shoved her aside roughly. Her head slammed into a few rocks on the ground. There was a deep gash on the side of her face. Within a split second, Harry and George began fighting with the three Slytherins. Both of them got knocked back a few feet by a spell. Madam Hooch rushed over, yelling at them. Evani did not understand how Draco, Blaise, and Seth were considered the victims.

"Straight to your head of house! Now!"

Harry and George walked back towards the castle. In the stands, kids talked animatedly about the fight. Seth wiped blood from his lip. Draco went over to her, concerned.

"Evie, I didn't mean to—I was just angry and…I'm sorry"

This intense feeling built up inside her. Her fingers dug deep into the dirt. Blood fell onto her hand in droplets. The teachers were busy getting kids away from the quidditch pitch. Draco helped her up.

"You know I would never hurt you"

Evani socked him hard across the face. He fell to the ground, holding his cheek. There was a dark purple bruise under his eye. Everyone stared at her, stunned. She did not need to be treated like some damsel in distress. Draco started to get up. She forced him down with her mind. The heel of her boot dug into his neck.

"Kick his ass, Evie!"

A spell whizzed past her ear. Pansy and her clique walked over.

"Get away from my boyfriend, Rybek. If you don't, I'll"

"You'll what?"

At the harsh glare on Evani's face, Pansy lost all of her confidence. She resembled a scared puppy. An enormous thunderstorm started over the pitch, darkening the sky to almost black. High winds picked up, almost bending the surrounding trees in half.

"I'll…y—you'll regret it"

"Stay the hell out of it or I'll put you back in that hospital wing. Next time, it won't end well" she hissed.

Evani kicked Draco's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain. She left the pitch, the storm spreading across the castle grounds. Once she was out of sight, she apparated to that hidden cave in the Forbidden forest…

~Dumbledore~

Dumbledore was standing by the entrance to the castle. Just a few moments ago, he spotted Madam Hooch escorting Harry and George Weasley towards Minerva's office. From what he could hear, they had been fighting on the pitch after the match. Dumbledore knew that it must have been Slytherin-related. He looked out towards the grounds, watching a rather aggressive storm unfold. Children were hurrying into the castle, coats over their heads, attempting to avoid being hit by lightning. Severus entered the castle, followed by a small group of Slytherins. The girls were speaking frantically. Draco Malfoy, who had a bloody nose and bruised eye, held his side in pain.

"Sir, just expel her! She's insane! She almost killed"

"Miss Parkinson, enough. Mister Pucey, take them back to the common room and ensure they do not leave"

Adrian Pucey forced them down to the dungeons despite their protests. Draco headed back towards the double doors. Severus stopped him. To Dumbledore's surprise, Draco looked very distraught. The usually stoic boy was close to tears. He tried to get out of Severus's grip, fighting the pain in his side.

"Get off. I need to find"

"Draco, you need to get to the hospital wing"

"No, I have to find her first...apologize...I—I didn't mean to hurt her. She's mad at me"

Severus ordered his friends to take him to the hospital wing for his injuries. It took both boys to get him up the staircase. Severus noticed Dumbledore by the entrance and walked over to him.

"It seems the aftermath of the match was more eventful than the game itself"

"Dumbledore, we have a problem. Evani's causing this storm"

"I had a feeling it was her doing. She is remarkable…and she hasn't even reached her full potential. I can only imagine what that will be like"

He looked displeased. "I'm glad that you find it fascinating. She's too uncontrolled. She could've killed the children with this storm…and she injured Draco quite badly"

"Ah, that is why he seemed so distraught"

"Two cracked ribs from a single kick"

Dumbledore questioned what caused the sudden fight. From what he had seen, Evani and Draco were quite close. He disapproved of their friendship but knew better than to force them apart. Evani was a very strong-willed girl, a trait that she got from her parents. Severus told him about the fight between Draco and Harry involving harsh insults. When Evani attempted to stop it, Draco shoved her aside, blinded by his anger towards Harry.

"She can't stay here"

"Severus"

"She's too uncontrolled. Look at what happens when she gets angry. This is just from being pushed by a boy. What if something worse happens?"

"Evani must stay here. It's for her protection"

"You could let her stay with Everard. You can't let this slide anymore. Do we really know what she's capable of with her magic? The girl's a very skilled liar. We've had our suspicions that she played a role in what happened to Pansy Parkinson…"

"You're right, Severus"

"I'm simply looking out for her safety and—what?"

Dumbledore agreed that something needed to be done. He thought that being at Hogwarts would help her. Evani was just far too different from the other children. She needed more guidance when it came to magic. Tom would certainly use her tendency to lose control to his advantage. He could not let her be taken in by dark magic. Dumbledore headed up to his office, contemplating ways to help Evani. He apparated, landing in front of Evani's home. Knocking on the door, he waited. The door opened, revealing her older brother Jayce. Dumbledore was aware of their tense relationship and how Jayce played a role in Evani being captured by Bass in the first place. Jayce looked confused.

"Hello Jayce. It is a pleasure to see you again"

"Mr. Dumbledore, what are you doing here? Is Evie hurt?"

Dumbledore was surprised by the concern in his voice. He had a feeling that deep down, Jayce cared very much for his younger sister.

"No, she is doing quite well at Hogwarts. There's no reason to worry"

"My parents aren't home. They're at a business brunch"

"That's quite alright. I wanted to speak with you"

"Me? Why?"

"May I come in?"

Dumbledore entered the mansion, closing the door behind him...

* * *

**A/N: I put in Dumbledore's POV to show what he thinks of Evani. I didn't want him to just ignore what she had done to Draco. Evani still needs to have consequences for her actions, as Snape says to him. She doesn't have a magical free-pass to do anything she wants. The question is what is Dumbledore going to do about it. Is it just going to be detention or something more drastic? Why would he want to talk to Jayce about her instead of her parents? Dumbledore is so fascinated by Evani's ability but there's a hint of fear in it, not knowing her limitations and full potential. It makes him realize that he doesn't fully understand her and why she acts the way she does. **

**Thanks for reading. Any feedback would be appreciated. :)  
**


	45. Chapter 45: Dragons and Giants

Once she was out of sight, she apparated to that hidden cave in the Forbidden forest. She crinkled her nose, conjuring the journal and dragon egg. If anything could calm her down, it was these things. She waved her hand over her cheek. The wound instantly healed. She sat alone in the cave for a few hours, reading. It was hard for her to just forget what happened after the game. She did not want to talk to anyone. The elements continued to move around the encased egg. Evani watched the aggressive storm. An idea popped into her head. Picking up the case, she stepped outside the cave. She re-directed the lightning to continually strike the egg. The glow around the egg turned from gold to red. Her back began to burn, similar to the night she went to dinner with Draco. She conjured a mirror and slid her blouse down.

Turning around, she saw a mark of a dragon, similar to a birthmark. The mark covered her entire back. She had never seen it before. Was this what Bass tried to find when he cornered her? The burning sensation subsided. She made the mirror vanish. Suddenly, she heard a loud screeching sound. She looked down at the ground. The egg was in pieces. Her eyes widened, seeing a small black and red dragon with a serrated tail. It looked no bigger than a small kitten. She picked it up gently. The dragon climbed onto her shoulder. She smiled. The incident at the quidditch pitch was wiped from her mind. Almost instantly, the storm stopped. She could not believe that she hatched the egg.

Petting its head, she said, "I'll call you Ash. Do you like that?"

The dragon cooed, nuzzling her cheek. Evani hid him in her bag. She snuck down to the Hogwarts kitchens. House elves rushed around, preparing food for dinner. Dobby was pouring pumpkin juice into a pitcher. His bat-like ears wiggled, happily.

"Miss Evie"

"Hi Dobby. I just need some meat…for a pet. Do you keep it stored somewhere?"

"Yes, miss. All of the food is through that door" he said, pointing at a back door.

"Could I just go in there and see what you've got?"

"Of course, miss. Dobby will help Miss Evie as much as he can"

She entered the storage room, locking it. Carefully, she placed Ash on the stone floor. She grabbed one of the small boxes. It was labeled deer.

"Do you like deer? Try it"

Ripping off a piece, she held it in her hand. Ash sniffed it and gave her a quizzical look. The journal mentioned that dragons liked their food charred. A small flame emitted from her hand, burning the meat. Ash let out a soft screech and ate it. Two seconds later, the meat was on the floor.

"So deer is out"

For a few minutes, she tried all kinds of meat. She consulted the journal. It mentioned giving a special cow meat that was only found in Romania. Evani found it after some digging through the storage room. Once she burned the meat, Ash ate it happily. She apparated back up to her room. Shadow was playing with a toy ball on the floor.

"Hey Shadow. Meet your new friend"

She conjured a small basket and placed Ash inside. Shadow stuck his head into the basket.

"Be careful. He just hatched. This is Ash. Ash, this is Shadow. I think you two will get along great"

Shadow created a small ball of fire from his tail. It slid under Ash, spinning him around. Ash let out a small screech.

"You need some sleep"

She slid the basket under her bed. Waving her hand, she used a charm to keep it hidden. Shadow jumped into her arms.

"Come on. Let's check on Harry. I'm sure he got detention from McGonagall for just giving those idiots what they deserve"

She went down to the common room. It was like someone had just died. The quidditch team, Ginny, and Hermione sat around, glum and depressed. Angelina was downing a bottle of butterbeer.

"Who died?"

"There's the little firecracker" said Fred.

"Heard you beat up Malfoy until he cried" said George, smiling.

She sat beside Harry. Ginny looked at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. What happened?"

Fred told her that he, George, and Harry got banned from the team. McGonagall just wanted to give George and Harry detention for fighting. Umbridge interrupted by presenting a new decree. It was made due to Umbridge feeling that the teachers undermined her authority. The new decree allowed Umbridge to have authority over all punishments and privileges and to alter any punishments given out by teachers. Using this new power, she banned Harry, Fred, and George from quidditch for life. She extended the punishment to Fred, claiming that he would have fought too if the girls did not hold him back. Their brooms had even been confiscated.

"But what about Crabbe? He hit that bludger at you and"

"He just got lines. Montague was bragging about it at dinner" said Ginny, miserably.

"That's not fair. Did she even know what he said about"

"Umbridge doesn't care, Evie. You know she loves the Slytherins. She's like Snape but even worse…if possible"

Angelina sighed. "Now we need two new beaters and a seeker. I'm going to bed. Maybe this will all end up being a nightmare and we haven't really played yet"

Angelina, Katie, and Alicia went up the staircase. A few minutes later, Fred and George followed, glowering. Evani leaned on Harry's shoulder, rubbing his hand. It barely calmed him down. Hermione sat beside her.

"Are you sure you're okay, Evie?" asked Hermione.

"I'm fine"

"I know you made that storm happen and you apparently broke Malfoy's ribs. You are far from fine"

Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Evie. I know you thought he was okay…but this proves he's no different. You shouldn't be around someone who hurts you. If Hooch didn't stop me, I would've done ten times worse"

"I'm going to bed. Are you coming?" Ginny asked her.

Evani shook her head. Ginny tried to make her feel better by telling her Serena planned a prank to get back at Draco. Around 9, Ron entered the common room, looking even more depressed. His head hung down low.

"Where were you?" asked Hermione, anxiously.

"Walking" he muttered.

Hermione made him sit by the fireplace. Ron apologized for playing poorly. He suggested that he would resign tomorrow morning. Harry argued against it,saying the team needed more than just chasers. Ron looked at him, confused. Harry told him about Umbridge's punishment. Hermione went over the story all over again.

"This is my fault"

"You didn't make me punch Malfoy. He was shooting his mouth off and then he hurt Evie"

"If I wasn't so bad as keeper"

"It wasn't"

"That song bothered me"

"It would've bothered anyone. Just drop it!"

Getting off of the couch, Hermione looked out the window. Hermione smiled.

"I know something to cheer you up"

"Setting Umbridge on fire?"

"Hagrid's back"

Harry's eyes lit up. She pointed out the window, noting the lights on in his cabin. They decided to sneak out to see him. After going into his room, Harry returned with his invisibility cloak. He wanted Evani to come too to meet Hagrid. Hermione doubted it could cover all four of them. The cloak barely fit just three people, especially with Ron's tall height. Evani closed her eyes, feeling herself change. Ron stared at her, open-mouthed.

"Bloody hell, Evie. You're a cat"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione hid under the cloak. She followed them across the grounds and down to the cabin. Harry knocked on the door three times. A dog barked from inside.

"Hagrid, it's us!"

"Shoulda known" a deep voice replied.

The door swung open. "Bin home three seconds…out the way, Fang"

For some reason, Hermione let out a small scream. "Keep yer voice down. Get in"

Evani scurried into the cabin. She looked up to see an eight foot tall man with long shaggy black hair, a full beard, and dark eyes. He was wearing a large moleskin coat with numerous pockets. Looking at his face, she realized why Hermione screamed. His hair had been matted with blood and his left eye could barely open. Cuts and bruises covered most of his face. She sensed that he had some broken ribs and an injured leg as he limped over to a tea kettle. Hagrid looked down at her.

"Got a little friend with yeh?"

"Evie, I forgot. You don't have to stay like that"

Evani changed back to her usual self. Hagrid was taken aback.

"Sorry, Hagrid. This is Evani. She just transferred to Hogwarts"

"It's nice ter meet yeh"

"What happened to you?" asked Harry.

"It's nuthin"

A black bloodhound jumped up at her, almost knocking her over. She bent down and scratched behind its ear. Hagrid swatted at the dog.

"Down, Fang. Want some tea?"

"Come off it, Hagrid. You're in a right state" said Ron.

"I told yeh I'm fine. Had good summers?"

"You ought to go see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid. Some of those cuts look nasty" said Hermione, worried.

"I'm dealin with it, all righ'?"

Hagrid was deflecting all of their concerns. He unwrapped a bloody, green-tinged meat the size of a car tire. Ron grimaced, wondering if that was food. Hagrid called it dragon meat. He placed the slab of meat on his bruised eye. Green blood dripped down his cheek.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" asked Harry.

"Can't, Harry. Top secret"

"Did the giants beat you up?" whispered Hermione.

Hagrid almost dropped the dragon meat, anxiously. "Giants? Who said anythin' abou'—who told yeh—who said"

"We guessed"

"Never known kids like you three fer knowin more'n yeh oughta. Not complimentin' yeh, either. Nosy, some would call it" he said, placing tea into five large mugs.

"So you were looking for giants? Where are they?" asked Ron.

"Mountains"

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us about the giants and Harry will tell you about being attacked by dementors"

Hagrid choked on his tea. The meat fell to the floor. He looked at Harry, staggered. It seemed to be the first time that he heard about the incident.

"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?"

"Didn't you know?"

"I don' know abou' anythin' since I left. Couldn't have owls following me around"

"We just thought you knew because you're in the Order. Like about Evie"

Hagrid looked at Evani. "What abou' her?"

"She got attacked by the American Ministry. The Minister tried to kill her and she stayed with the Order over the summer. He's still after her"

She was silent. Hagrid did not look pleased with this information. He shook his head, putting down the mug.

"Ruddy Bass. Never liked him. Puttin' a little girl"

The corners of Evani's eyes twitched, about to glare. She hated being treated like some fragile doll.

"In danger like tha'. No one should go through it. What abou' those dementors?"

Fang was chewing on the dragon meat, ripping it apart. Harry told him about the attack and subsequent trial. He gave a shortened version then quickly asked about the giants. Hagrid glared at him through one eye then heaved a large sigh.

"Oh all righ'"

He picked up the dragon steak. "Hagrid, don't. That's not hygienic" said Hermione.

"I can fix them" offered Evani.

"No need ter"

"Hagrid, let Evie help"

There was a bucket of water by the tea kettle. She levitated it over to the table. Waving her hand, she made water rise from the bucket. The water rested on his leg. She moved her hand around, using the water to heal the sprained bone. She was able to get rid of every cut and bruise. As she used the water on his ribs, Hagrid told them about his journey. He explained that he and Madam Maxime, the headmistress at Beauxbatons, had to walk to the mountains without any magic use. Apparently, they were being watched by a Ministry official and had to be careful. Evani found it sad when he mentioned the loss of so many giants. Hagrid told them that they only found around 80 total in the mountains. Before, there had been hundreds but then the wizards drove them into hiding and the close quarters made them kill eachother.

"So in the mornin, we went to see them"

"You just walked into their cave?" asked Harry.

"Dumbledore told us how ter do it. We had ter give the Gurg gifts, show respect, yeh know"

"The what?"

"It's the leader of a pack of giants" said Evani.

Hagrid nodded. "How do you know which one is the Gurg?"

"Not hard to spot. He's the laziest, biggest, and ugliest. Name o' Karkus, about 23 feet tall"

"And you walked up to him?" asked Hermione, amazed.

He talked about giving Karkus gifts, including a goblin-made helmet and a branch of everlasting fire, and that Karkus seemed willing to help. Things took a turn for the worse a few nights later. Karkus had been killed and a new Gurg named Golgomath took over.

"I knew it was no go before I'd opened me mouth. He was leerin at us as we came nearer. He was massive, wearin' a necklace of bones. I rolled out the dragon skin and said 'A gift fer the Gurg of the giants'. Next thing I know, I'm upside down, held by one of his mates"

Hermione looked nervous. "How did you get out of that?" asked Harry.

"Olympe helped by doing some of the fastest spellwork I've ever seen. Bu' we were in trouble then cause giants hate tha' abou' wizards. We had ter run from the camp fir a couple days, lyin' low and watchin'. Turns out he didn't hate all wizards—just us"

"Death eaters" said Evani.

"That's righ'. He didn't dangle 'em in the air when they brought gifts ter him"

"How do you know they were death eaters?"

"I recognized one. Macnair…maniac, he is. Likes killing just as much as Golgomath. No wonder they got along. So we went aroun' to the giants who didn't like him as Gurg, trying to persuade them to join us. We had to watch out for the death eaters cause they knew we was we convinced six or seven at one point"

"At one point?" asked Hermione.

Hagrid sighed, looking sad. "Golgomath's lot raided the caves. The ones tha' survived didn't want nothin ter do with us"

"So…no giants are coming?"

"No, but they got the message. If they don't want to stay with Golgomath, they'll leave and maybe remember Dumbledore's friendly. Then they could come"

"But why are you like this, Hagrid? And why are you back so late? Sirius said Maxime came back ages ago" said Harry.

Evani could tell that Hagrid did not want to keep talking about the trip. She sensed that he was hiding something.

"Harry, we don't need to know everything right now. He needs to rest"

Harry looked like he had a million questions. She placed the water back into the bucket.

"That should be good. They were really bad so they'll take a few minutes to fully heal"

He gave her a kind smile. "Thank you. You didn't have ter do that"

There was a loud knock on the door. She crinkled her nose, using a charm to see outside. Umbridge was standing by the hut, wearing her usual pink cardigan.

"It's Umbridge" she whispered, worried.

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione hid under the cloak in a corner, she transfigured back into the cat. She hid by the fireplace. Fang was barking wildly. Hagrid pushed him aside, opening the door. Umbridge's shrewd eyes took in Hagrid's large frame.

"So you're Hagrid, are you?" she asked, very slowly.

"Er don't want ter be rude but who are you?"

"My name is Dolores Umbridge"

She looked around the cabin. "Aren't you one of those Ministry folk?"

"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes. I am now the DADA teacher"

"That's brave of yeh. Not an easy job"

"And Hogwarts High Inquisitor"

"What's that?"

Her eyes were on a broken mug that Hermione dropped. "Precisely what I wanted to ask"

"Oh uh—Fang knocked over the mug so I was using this one instead"

"I heard voices"

Hagrid lied that he had been speaking to Fang. Umbridge noted that she saw three sets of footprints leading from the castle to the cabin. Hermione was about to gasp. Evani dug her claws into her leg. Hermione covered her mouth.

"Well I only jus' got back. Maybe someone was lookin for me"

"There are no footsteps leading back to the castle"

Umbridge began to inspect his entire cabin. She looked into cupboards and under tables. After a five minute inspection, she turned to Hagrid.

"What has happened to you? Where did you sustain those injuries?"

The bruises were still visible on his face. "Oh I…had a bit of an accident"

"An accident?"

"I tripped"

Umbridge did not believe one word of his story. "Over…a friend's broomstick. I don't fly, meself. Look at the size of me. A broom would"

"Where have you been?" she interrupted, sharply.

"Where've I"

"Been, yes. Term started two months ago. None of your colleagues could give me information on your location. Where have you been?"

"I was…away for me health. Just some fresh air, yeh know"

"Yes, as gamekeeper, fresh air is very hard to come by"

Evani resisted the urge to scratch her face. She knew that Umbridge wanted to get rid of Hagrid. He was one of Dumbledore's biggest supporters. The Ministry hoped to weed all of them out.

"A change of scene and"

"Mountain scenery?"

Evani looked at Harry through his cloak. Umbridge somehow knew that Hagrid had been near giant territory. He nodded slightly. Ron and Hermione both looked nervous.

"Nope, south o' France for me. Bit o' sun"

"You don't seem very tan"

"Sensitive skin"

Umbridge had a cold expression on her toad-like face. "I shall inform the Minister of your late return. As High Inquisitor, it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers so we will see each other again"

"You're inspectin' us?"

"Oh yes. The Ministry wishes to get rid of unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night"

She left the cabin. Hagrid watched her from a window. Evani returned to her usual self. Harry pulled off the cloak.

"Inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yea. Trelawney is already on probation"

"Hagrid, what were you thinking for class?" asked Hermione.

He placed the dragon steak back on his eye, enthusiastically. "I've got loads o' great lessons planned. I've bin savin some creatures fer your OWL year. Really special"

"Hagrid, Professor Umbridge won't be happy if you bring something dangerous"

"Dangerous? I wouldn't bring anythin' dan" he started.

"You need to pass the inspection. You could show us how to look after porlocks or talk to us about knarls"

"That's not very interestin', Hermione"

Hermione was getting desperate. "Hagrid, she wants to get rid of any teachers too close to Dumbledore. Just teach us something dull"

Not looking convinced, Hagrid yawned. He pushed them towards the door.

"It's gettin late. You lot get to bed. Remember to wipe your footprints as you go"

Hagrid shut the door. "Don't think you got through to him" Ron told Hermione.

Hermione crossed her arms. She insisted that she would return every day to help with the lesson plans. Evani knew that all three cared a lot about Hagrid. They did not want him fired due to Umbridge.

"How can we get rid of our footprints?"

"An obliteration charm"

"Umbridge might be able to know how to track magic though. Dad warned Fred and George about that once when they were in 1st year and pulling pranks. What if she can trace it back to us?"

Evani pushed her foot into the snow. A path of ice formed up to the front doors. She climbed the icy steps up the hill and then started sliding. Within a minute, she landed inside the castle. The rest of them were a little clumsy. Ron fell over at least 10 times, Hermione kept stopping herself, and Harry landed on his butt at the doors. Evani helped him up. Hermione finally entered the castle, holding onto the side of the door. Waving her hand, Evani made the ice turn back into snow. Ron was panting heavily.

"I can't feel my legs"

"Oh stop whining, baby. We should go before Filch catches us"

They returned to the Gryffindor common room…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	46. Chapter 46: Retaliation

-Four days later- Ever since the quidditch match, Evani decided to cut all contact with the Slytherins. Draco would purposely patrol near the Gryffindor common room, hoping to get her alone. During classes, he continually bugged her. She ignored all of his apologies. Nothing could change her mind after the way he treated Harry or her. It was clear that he manipulated her. Draco only wanted to be friends because of her looks. He showed his true nature at that match when he insulted Harry's mother being muggleborn like her. She wanted to teach him a lesson. He had no remorse for his actions to Harry. It disgusted her that someone could be so heartless. He was turning into an exact replica of his father. Evani focused on more important things like her dragon eggs. She decided to wait before hatching the others. The dragon journal helped her immensely with Razortail care. Every night, she would go up to the Astronomy tower with Ash to just spend time alone. She felt this maternal bond to him. It was like having a baby. Hermione attempted to help Hagrid with his lessons but found no success. He assured her that the lesson would be exciting. Most kids were disappointed with his return. They definitely preferred Grubbly-Plank over Hagrid as a teacher. Evani walked down to Hagrid's cabin, reading more from the journal. She sat on a boulder, engrossed in the pages.

"Evie"

Harry was beside her. "What are you reading?"

"Just writing in my diary"

"You have a diary?"

"Yea, I know it's lame but"

"No, it's not"

She put the journal into her bag and stood up. "Evie, I was wondering if you"

He got interrupted by the other kids coming down the hill. Hagrid was waiting by the forest, holding a dead cow over his shoulder. Hermione frowned, dreading the impending lesson. To her confusion, Evani saw more cuts and bruises on Hagrid's face. She was an expert at healing. How could his wounds not heal? Harry looked worried. He wondered if Hagrid got attacked in the forest. Hagrid smiled at everyone.

"We're workin' in here today. Bit more sheltered an' they prefer the dark"

Evani was excited to go into the forest. She appeared to be the only one. Kids whispered to eachother, anxiously. Some looked ready to just ditch the class. Ron was reluctant, muttering about spiders. Rolling her eyes, Evani grabbed his sleeve, pulling him into the forest.

"What prefers the dark? Did he say?" whispered Daphne, sounding panicked.

Evani suppressed a smirk. Hagrid led them through the forest.

"Thought we'd see 'em in their natural habitat. What we're studyin' today is pretty rare. Figure I'm the on'y one who's bin able ter train 'em"

"And you're sure they're trained? It wouldn't be the first time you brought in wild stuff" said Draco.

"Course they're trained"

"Then what's wrong with your face?"

"He's got an excuse. What's yours?" retorted Evani.

Harry and Ron sniggered. Other kids stifled laughs into their sleeves. Pansy glared at her. Draco was just silent. Hermione nudged her side. After ten minutes, they stopped at a small clearing. He put the dead cow on the ground.

"Now they'll be attracted ter the smell o' meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway"

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he let out a loud shriek. Kids glanced around, nervously, expecting to be attacked. Between two gnarled trees, she saw a pair of bright white eyes. One of those skeletal horses, which had been pulling the carriages from the train, emerged from the darkness. With pointed fangs, it began to eat from the carcass. She noticed only Neville and Harry watching the horse. Everyone else was staring off in various directions. Another horse walked towards them.

"Now put yer hands up…who can see 'em?"

She raised her hand, along with Harry and Neville. "Knew you'd be able ter, Harry. And you too, Neville, Evie, eh?"

"What are we supposed to be seeing?" asked Draco, sneering.

Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass. Kids jumped back, frightened. To them, the flesh just seemed to tear away and vanish into thin air.

"W—what's doing it?" asked Parvati, terrified.

"Thestrals. Hogwarts has a whole herd"

"But they're really unlucky. They're supposed to bring misfortune to people who see them. Professor Trelawney once said"

He chuckled. "Nah, tha's jus' superstition. They're dead clever an' useful. This lot helps ter pull the school carriages. They won' hurt yeh. Now, who can tell me why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some can't?"

Hermione raised her hand. She explained that only people who witnessed death could see thestrals. That made Evani a bit uncomfortable. She felt someone grab her hand. It was Harry. He gave her a comforting smile. In the whole class, only he, Evani, and Neville understood the grim feeling behind Hermione's explanation. Hagrid started to talk about the thestrals. He got interrupted by a familiar high-pitched cough. Umbridge was behind the group of students, wearing a green plaid cloak and hat.

"Oh, hello" said Hagrid, happily.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning? Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?" she asked, speaking very slowly.

"Glad yeh found the place. Well as you can see…or I dunno, can you? We're doin' thestrals today"

She cupped a hand around her ear, frowning. "I'm sorry? What did you say?"

"Thestrals! Big—er winged horses"

To help her understand, he flapped his arms like a pair of wings. Umbridge wrote on her clipboard. She muttered about him using crude sign language. Evani glared, clenching her fists. She knew what Umbridge was trying to do. Her comment made Hagrid flustered.

"Well anyway…what was I sayin'?"

"Appears to have short term memory"

Hermione was shaking with rage. "So we uh have a herd here cause we started with one male and five females"

He patted the head of the thestral next to him. "This is Tenebrus. He was the first born"

Three more thestrals walked through the trees. One of the horses, the smallest, moved towards her. She pet its back. Umbridge mentioned that the Ministry classified thestrals as dangerous. Hagrid chuckled at her comment.

"They aren' dangerous. Sure they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh annoy them"

"Shows pleasure at the idea of violence" she muttered, writing again.

"No, I didn't mean—I was jus' sayin'…"

"That's not what he meant"

Umbridge looked at Evani. "Even dogs will get mad if you annoy them. If you treat them with respect, then you're fine"

"Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk"

With her stubby fingers, she mimicked walking. "Among the students and ask them questions"

She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking. The Slytherins were shaking with silent laughter. Hagrid looked confused by her actions. Umbridge went right over to the Slytherins. As Hagrid attempted to teach them about thestrals, Umbridge spoke loudly to distract him.

"Do you find that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he speaks?" she asked Pansy.

There were tears from laughter in her eyes. "I—it's really hard cause it sounds like grunting most of the time" Hagrid blushed.

"Pansy, I just think it's a language barrier. You speak in dog and I can barely understand you" said Evani.

Pansy's nostrils flared. Hagrid continued the lesson, his face flushed. It was hard to get any information when the Slytherins kept cutting him off with rude remarks.

"Loads o' good stuff about thestrals. 'Mazin' sense of direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go and"

"Assuming they can understand you" interrupted Draco.

The Slytherins snickered under their breath. Umbridge did not even reprimand them. She had a small smile on her face.

"I hate her" hissed Harry.

"Well who can understand you, ferret face? I always wonder…is that smirk tattooed on or is it a birth defect from the inbreeding that your family obviously practices?"

Draco's smirk faltered. Hermione nudged her side again. Despite not getting along with the Slytherins, she did not want Evani to stoop to their level.

"I suggest you apologize, Miss Rybek, for being disrespectful to your peers" said Umbridge.

"My peers? That implies that they're human. All I see is a bunch of animals. There's a pug, a ferret, a chicken…it's like a miniature zoo"

"Detention with me tonight, 8 o'clock, my office"

"I'll bring you a bucket of flies to eat"

Harry and Ron held back laughter. Umbridge's eyes narrowed. As she questioned Neville, Evani turned to Harry.

"I'm going to get them back" she whispered.

"How?"

"A special surprise. Just make sure you have this on and pointed towards the forest"

She handed him a camera. He hid it in the pocket of his robes. Umbridge left the forest. After their lesson, they walked back towards the hut. Evani hid behind a line of yew trees. Closing her eyes, she transfigured into an enormous wolf. She watched the Slytherins towards the back of the group.

"Did you see the oaf's face?" said Millicent.

"So funny. He'll be fired by tonight" replied Tracey.

"Bet Umbridge has him locked in Azkaban" said Seth.

"They'll need 3 cells just to fit him"

They laughed snootily. Hermione threw them a nasty glare.

"What are you looking at, mudblood?" sneered Draco.

Evani crinkled her nose. Pansy's bag split open. She muttered a few curses and fixed it with a charm. The distraction created even more space between them and the rest of the class. Evani purposely snapped a few twigs. Pansy looked into the trees. Evani made a low growling sound. The girls whimpered. Pansy clung to Draco, digging her nails into his arm.

"Drakie"

"Relax, it's a little wolf" said Blaise.

Evani stood at full height, being half as tall as the trees. All of them screamed, running down the path. Evani chased after them. They fell multiple times. The branches scratched them up.

"What are yeh doin'?" she heard Hagrid ask.

"T—there's a monster wolf. I—it was like a big bear" said Daphne.

Harry had the camera pointed at them, holding it under his robes. Hiding in the nearby bushes, she changed form. Daphne indicated the bushes, frantically.

"It was going to eat us" said Seth, panting.

Hagrid pushed back the bushes and picked up Evani.

"This yer monster?"

"But—we saw"

"It's jus' a rabbit, Malfoy"

Kids were trying not to laugh. "Don' make up stories. Yer scarin' everyone fer no reason"

He put her back on the ground. The Slytherins looked confused. Pansy and the girls kept glancing at the forest, expecting the wolf to attack. Hagrid returned to his cabin. Evani snuck up behind the girls.

"Who knew you were such a cry baby, Malfoy?"

"Shut up, Potter"

"It was just a little bunny"

Evani transformed back into herself. The girls jumped out of fright. She giggled.

"That was hilarious"

Harry handed her the camera. She went through the video footage. It was even funnier through the camera.

"Aw, what will your daddies think when they see their little cry babies all over the news…scared of a wittle bunny?" she asked, pouting.

"It was you?" said Seth, his fists clenched.

"Wow, Seth. I don't get how you haven't graduated already. You are a genius" she said, sarcastically.

"Give me that camera"

"No"

"The asking was me being a gentleman"

"Chickens can't be gentlemen, silly. Maybe if you wore a top hat and tux…"

Red sparks shot out of his wand. Seth looked ready to slice off her hand. Evani found this far too enjoyable. It was like a game. She closed the camera.

"I'll make you a deal, Burke. You catch me and I'll let you keep the video…before I send it to _WizSpark_ and completely humiliate you. Bet your daddy will be especially angry with you"

Evani started running up the hill. Seth chased after her, angrily. He shot multiple spells towards her. Easily, she dodged them.

"Is that the best you've got?"

"Give me the camera!"

She reached the nearest greenhouse. "Burke, you are just being a very bad boy today. I can't believe you hurt an innocent girl"

"What are you"

She smashed one of the windows. Using a fallen shard, she cut her wrist. She let out a piercing scream. Seth covered his ears. Sprout rushed out of the greenhouse.

"What is going o—Miss Rybek!"

Concerned, Sprout took her arm. There was a deep gash, bleeding profusely. She flicked her wand, casting a healing charm. The wound slowly vanished.

"Dear, how did this happen?"

Evani teared up. "It was Seth and his friends, professor. They were trying to take my camera. I told them that I couldn't give it to them because it has special pictures of my parents who I miss so much. But they didn't care and Seth broke the window and cut my arm"

"That's not true!" yelled Seth.

"Yes it is, professor" said Harry, playing along.

"Shut up, Potter!"

"Professor, it was Rybek. She tricked us and she"

"Miss Parkinson, you expect me to believe that she would willing cut herself? Head to Professor Dumbledore's office now. He'll deal with you"

Pansy and her clique glared daggers. Seth was still gripping his wand tightly. Blaise forced him back to the castle. As Draco passed, he had a mixed expression of confusion and hurt on his face. Sprout followed after them. Evani smirked, sending the video to _WizSpark. _She wiped away the fake tears.

"Bloody hell, Evie. That was genius"

"Ron, that was child's play"

Hermione crossed her arms, disapprovingly. "Evie, you took things too far"

"I did not. Those snots deserved it"

They headed up to the castle, having to endure a lecture about house unity by Hermione. Evani simply kept nodding to appease her. As Hermione went on about being the bigger person, Lukas walked over.

"Hey Evie"

"Hey"

Evani looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She gave a subtle nod towards the Great Hall. The guys were, as usual, clueless. Hermione got the hint. She grabbed the backs of their robes, mentioning that they needed to do work. As they went up the staircase, she turned back to Lukas.

"So I was thinking we could go down to Hogsmeade"

"You want me to skip the amazing Hogwarts dinner? I don't know if you're good enough for that"

"It will be worth it"

"It better be"

They went down to Hogsmeade. Lukas brought her into the Three Broomsticks. Instead of the usual Hogwarts students, it was packed with adults. They sat at a back table. After ordering food, they waited around, talking. She sipped her butterbeer. Lukas touched her hand.

"Are you doing okay?"

"What does that mean?"

"The Malfoy incident. I mean, you two were really close and"

"And nothing. I was stupid to forgive him the first time. I see him for who he is now…a dirty ferret"

He kissed her cheek, assuring her that he would never hurt her. Evani knew that Lukas was nothing like Draco. Unlike the cold Slytherin, he had a heart. She saw some other 7th years enter the pub. They ordered firewhiskeys, sitting at a nearby table. She got distracted by her phone vibrating. It was Jayce. Deciding to indulge him, she answered the phone.

"What do you want, Jay? Do I have to bail you out of jail for the millionth time?"

Lukas kissed her neck. She smiled, pushing his shoulder.

"Stop it" she mouthed.

"Really cute, Evie. Sending your new wizard buddies to do me in for helping Bass"

Her smile faltered. "What?"

"Don't act clueless. I've been trying to make up for my mistake but clearly, you'd rather see me dead"

"Jay, I didn't—who's there?"

"You know exactly who it is. Do wizards have gangs too? I saw the tattoo on one of their wrists. I might not have magic but I can still beat them up. After I do that, I'm going to come for you and tell that headmaster what a manipulative bitch you are"

Before she could say anything, he hung up. She had a good idea of who attacked him. Apologizing to Lukas, she went over to the table of 7th years. They were busy talking about the latest quidditch match. Adrian noticed her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me"

She slammed his head into the table. The other guys looked taken aback. Adrian held his nose. Blood seeped through his fingers.

"Evie, what's going on? What's the matter?" asked Roger, worried.

She gripped Adrian by his hair. "Talk"

"Evie, I—Seth was mad at you for that prank you played. He said he was going to get even…that's all I know"

"If there is even one scratch on him, I'll break every bone in your body" she hissed.

Letting go of him, she left the pub. She snuck into a back alley and apparated. A second later, she landed in front of her mansion. She could see jets of lights fly past the windows. There was an old soup can on the front lawn. She knew it must be a portkey. Her fists clenched. She opened the front door. Jayce was running past, dodging a jet of blue light. She heard a cruel laugh.

"You dodge spells pretty well like your little sister. I guess speed runs in the family"

A spell struck his back, causing him to fall to the floor. "Or not"

Jayce clutched his throat. There were a series of cuts and bruises on his face. She tried to enter the house. A shield blocked her. Seth entered the main hallway. Draco and Blaise followed after him.

"Seth, that's enough. Leave him al"

Draco stopped, seeing her. Seth smirked.

"Oh, hey Evie. I was wondering when you'd show up. Like my protection charm? Afraid it won't disappear until we leave…and I don't feel like going until I watch your brother here suffer"

Jayce started to cough up blood. He attempted to stand up. Seth knocked him back down with a spell, causing him to fall unconscious. Evani touched the shield. It burned her fingertips. She winced. The charm was dark magic. She continued to reach inside, ignoring the burning feeling. Once her whole arm got through, she broke the shield. She entered the house. Seth looked surprised. She moved one hand aside. Draco and Blaise were pinned to the floor. She grabbed Seth by the throat. Her other arm was covered in burn marks.

"I only need one arm to hurt you, Burke"

"How did you break the charm?"

"I'm only going to tell you once. You do not want me as an enemy. I will make your every day a living hell until your last day. You do not ever hurt my family. If I see you here again, I will rip your heart from your chest and crush it into dust"

She resisted the urge to hurt him. There was this inner desire to rip him to shreds. An image of Seth begging for death passed through her mind. She let go of him. He left the house. The spell on Draco and Blaise reversed. She went over to Jayce. His breathing was shallow. She crinkled her nose. His wounds began to heal. She levitated him onto a couch in the living room.

"Evie, I—I'm sorry. I tried to get Seth to stop but—he wouldn't listen. I told him not to hurt your brother"

"Get out"

"Evie, please. Let me just explain. I'm"

Angrily, she turned around. Draco was standing in the doorway. She went over to him.

"I know what you are…a coward. You kept telling me that you were nothing like your father, that you were different. You are exactly like him. All you care about is appearances and power"

"That's not"

"It is true! You're so blinded by him pounding these stupid ideas in your head that you don't think for yourself. You just spit out his beliefs like a robot. You're even becoming a death eater just like him"

"How did you"

"I'm not an idiot. Everyone told me not to trust you and I defended you. I said that you could be better than that, you could change…but you can't. You're helping some lunatic who thinks people like me don't deserve magic and who's willing to kill them. You made your decision and you're going to regret it. You can't have me and side with him"

Draco was silent. He reached for her hand. She pulled it back. He looked upset.

"Evie, I—I don't have a choice. If I don't join him, he'll force me by hurting people I care about…like you. I'm doing this to protect you"

"I don't need you to protect me! This isn't a fairytale where I need some dashing prince to rescue me! I can't do this with you. I don't want you talking to me anymore…just act like I don't exist"

"E—Evie, I can't—don't do this"

Tears filled her eyes. "I hope you're happy with your decision. Now all you have is a stupid mark on your arm and you lose me"

Jayce was beginning to wake up. She went over to the couch. Draco had left the living room. She conjured a glass of water. Jayce sat up, weakly. He rubbed his neck.

"You'll be sore for a few hours. Here"

Instead of drinking it, he poured it on her burnt arm. "Jay"

"You need it more than me"

She waved her hand over the water. It healed her multiple burns. He hugged her. It caught her off guard. Jayce rarely acted compassionate towards her. The last time he hugged her, she was 10 and he was trying to pour soda on her head.

"I'm sorry I thought you sent those guys. I just thought since you hate me…"

"I don't hate you, Jay. You just frustrate me"

He chuckled. Her arm returned to normal. After she checked his injuries, she headed back to the castle...

* * *

**A/N: In this chapter, I wanted to show how Evani is good at hiding her emotions. With both Jayce and Draco, she puts on this mask of indifference. She makes others think that she doesn't care much about them. Deep down, it's the opposite. She obviously cares about Jayce, despite his poor treatment of her, because he is her brother. Jayce acts very similar, showing towards the end of the chapter that he doesn't hate his sister as much as she thinks. With Draco, she's hurt from his past actions. There's a part of her that wants to look past what he's said and done but can't. In a way, she feels sorry for him that he thinks he doesn't have a choice in becoming a death eater. It's one of the few times in the story where she tears up and shows real emotion to someone. **

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	47. Chapter 47: The Mysterious Vampire

After she checked his injuries, she headed back to the castle. Evani landed in the alley behind Zonko's joke shop. She walked along the path, wanting to be alone. Seth's actions against Jayce still filled her head. She found it hard to suppress her rage and desire to snap his neck. As she neared the end of the road, she heard gruff voices. The next sound was a cry of pain. She looked into the alleyway between a dress shop and apothecary. Three men were standing in front of a scrawny guy around 18 on the ground. The guy had a silver chain against his neck and winced, struggling to move. Burns formed under the chains. It meant he was a vampire. She heard the vampire call them filthy aurors. One of them was named Dawlish. She had seen him in the Daily Prophet for capturing some fugitive. He was a gray-haired man with a harsh demeanor. She read the vampire's thoughts. The aurors assumed that he had been out hunting humans but he actually fed on animals in the forest.

"What were you doing out, vampire?" said a man with a stubbly face.

"I was"

"Hunting wizards?"

"No"

"Liar. It's the Ministry for you. Fudge will decide your fate"

"Trust me, it won't be pretty" said the tallest of the three.

The aurors chuckled darkly. "Silver him more, Savage"

She pushed her hand forward. The silver chains wrapped around the stubbly-faced auror, making him fall. He struggled against the binding chains. The other two aurors turned around.

"A Hogwarts student. Get back to the castle, girl"

She went into the alley. "Stop hurting him. He didn't do anything. He feeds on animals, not people"

"Stay out of it. It's auror business" "

"Well you're doing a shitty job"

Savage removed the chains and stood up. The three aurors took out their wands.

"Unless you'd like to meet Fudge as well, you'll get back to the castle like a good little girl"

"Why don't you make me?"

Before she could do anything, a black blur passed her. It stopped in front of the young vampire. There was a guy in his mid 20s with wavy golden blonde hair, mesmerizing sky blue eyes, and an extremely muscular build. The three men looked anxious, stepping back.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" he asked in a smooth voice.

"Just handling a stray, Stark" said the tall auror.

"Handling or arresting, Proudfoot?"

"We'll be going. Keep your kind in check"

"Will do. You'll apologize to the girl. I find threatening innocent girls to be in poor taste"

"Our apologies, miss" said Proudfoot.

In an instant, the aurors vanished from the alley. The intimidating blonde went over to the young vampire. He stared at the ground, shaking. Quickly, the older vampire removed the chains.

"What have I told you about going through the town at night? We go the back way, Jonah"

"I forgot, sir"

"Don't let it happen again. Fudge looks for any excuse to get rid of us"

Jonah vanished in a blur, heading towards the forest. The tall blonde turned to her. Evani felt entranced. Ever since she was little, she had been fascinated with vampires. Part of her always wanted to meet one. His eyes traveled over her body and his fangs emerged. Her fingers emitted blue sparks, ready to defend herself if necessary. His fangs retracted while he looked intrigued.

"I'm sorry. You smell very, very good. I haven't smelled anything like it before"

She felt entranced by his eyes. "Thank you" he said.

"For what?" she asked.

"For helping Jonah. He's been around for 150 years and he lacks any common sense"

He told her that vampires had been getting captured for weeks. The aurors attacked them based on false charges made by Fudge. Arrests of vampires were done to distract from the real problem. She knew that he meant Voldemort. Fudge wanted to focus public worry on vampires rather than an actual issue. He lied about vampire threats to make him seem like a good leader.

"I'm Devon Stark"

"Evani Rybek"

"I owe you for your help. You look like you don't want to be at the school right now"

"Not really"

"You can come to my home. It's not far from here"

She followed him down the path. "How old are you?"

Devon looked at her. She blushed.

"Sorry. I'm from the muggle world so I've never met a vampire before"

"650 years old"

"Wow. Is that why the aurors listened to you?"

"Partially. They also know that if they were to fight me, they would lose before they could reach their wands"

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of an enormous mansion on top of a hill. It was only slightly smaller than the castle. He told her that he lived here with his progeny. His bloodline extended all the way back to the 1600s. She questioned if any wizards had been inside before. Devon said that it was rare unless they wanted to feed on a human instead of some animal.

"Though some like the idea of being with a vampire"

"Fangbangers"

He looked at her, confused. Evani never felt more embarrassed. He probably thought she was some freak. She tried to come up with a non-awkward explanation.

"First of all, I don't really have a filter. I just blurt things out. People say I have to work on it. Second, there's this TV show back home about vampires and that's what they call people who like to…do things with vampires"

"Interesting term"

He opened the door. The mansion was very lavish and extravagant with a dark décor. It looked like a normal home. She noticed some antique items like vases and paintings.

"Would you like a drink, Evani?"

"Evie"

He raised an eyebrow. "I just like being called Evie"

"Why?"

"No reason. Everyone calls me it"

"Your name is beautiful. It suits you"

She wanted to get off the subject of her name. Before she could ask a random question, he interrupted her.

"What's troubling you?"

"Nothing" she replied.

"You must've had a reason to leave the castle, especially during dinner. I remember the meals were very satisfying"

"You went to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I was a Gryffindor. After school, I became a healer at a local hospital. I was turned one night when helping a victim of a werewolf attack in an alley. The werewolf had attacked me as well and I would've been dead if not for my maker. Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset"

"Then angry"

She felt this deep connection with Devon. He was treating her like an equal, not some fragile doll. Usually, she would be the one who could read people. He seemed to do the same to her. It surprised her.

"Evani"

Dumbledore was standing outside the mansion. "Mister Hale informed me that you had left the grounds. What did I say about being on your own?"

"She's not alone"

He turned to Devon. There was a slight mistrust in his eyes.

"Devon"

"There's no reason to worry, Albus. She was very helpful. One of my own was being attacked by some aurors and she stopped them"

"You cannot be on this side of the village, Evani"

"But" started Evani.

Dumbledore brought her back to his office. She could see Hogsmeade through the windows and would sneak discrete glances at the village. He reprimanded her, telling her that she could not be alone at night. It was like a Hermione lecture times ten. Arguing with him would be useless. He told her that he was looking out for her safety. She sighed in defeat.

"I understand, sir"

"I do not want you speaking with Devon Stark either"

"He helped me out. If he didn't show up, the aurors would've"

"He's not trustworthy, Evani. He's very manipulative"

Evani was unsure of why Dumbledore acted so strangely. From what Harry told her, he accepted all kinds of beings, whether wizard, muggle, or halfbreed. Why would he dislike Devon?

"I won't go anywhere alone, sir. I'll stay away from Devon"

"There's something else I'd like to discuss. I've noticed that your emotions tend to affect control over your magic"

"If this is about hurting Dr—Malfoy, I"

"It is about that…and the storm…and other incidents. With your abilities, it's dangerous. I am not going to send you away, Evani. Professor Snape suggested that option but I believe being at Hogwarts is beneficial for you. You are still under threat by Declan. I want you to undergo therapy"

Her eyes widened. Did he think she was insane? Even in the muggle world, therapy had bad connotations. Dumbledore assuaged her fears, telling her that he was not concerned about her mental state. He wanted her to do sessions at St. Mungo's, a local hospital. It would be a way to work on techniques to keep her magic under control when feeling strong emotions. He had gone to Jayce after the quidditch match, questioning her past. Jayce told him that she turned into a different person when angry or upset, leading to similar situations like the ones at Hogwarts. Her parents agreed to the therapy, not wanting her to endanger herself. Despite this, he would not set up the sessions without her consent.

"I know that you may feel"

"I want to do them"

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "I want to be honest with you, sir. I left the grounds because Seth attacked my brother"

Dumbledore looked at her, surprised. Evani partially blamed herself, explaining that Seth wanted retaliation for her prank earlier in the day. She told him about how she had this strong urge to hurt Seth, though she left out wanting to kill him.

"I just—he hurt Jayce and"

"I understand. I think this will be good for you. I'll inform you when I've set up the first appointment"

Evani left his office. It was already close to 8. She remembered her detention. Annoyed, she went up to Umbridge's office. As she entered the office, she felt repulsed. The walls were pink and covered with plates of moving kittens. Flowers, lace, and frills could be seen in every part of the room. Umbridge was sitting at her desk. To her confusion, Devon stood in front of the toad-faced woman. She had a vacant expression in her eyes and nodded. He turned around, seeing Evani. As he walked over to her, she stepped back, warily. She remembered what Dumbledore said about not trusting him. Did he work for the Ministry and was helping Fudge?

"How did you get in the castle?"

"It's quite simple for a vampire. I know a few secret passages in the forest"

"Why were you talking to Umbridge?"

"Getting you out of detention. I merely suggested that it was pointless and she agreed. I'm very persuasive"

Evani peeked into the classroom. Umbridge was still dazed, staring blankly at the wall. Confused, Evani asked how he knew about the detention. He chuckled.

"I was in the forest for a snack. I overheard your conversation"

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure that I didn't get you in trouble with Albus"

"No. He was just being protective"

She heard someone walking down the corridor. It was just Lukas. He looked relieved.

"Evie, I was worried. Why did"

Lukas stopped talking when he noticed Devon. "Lukas, this is Devon. He lives in Hogsmeade. Lukas is Head Boy"

"Impressive"

"Evie, you should get to bed. It's late"

Devon was watching Lukas. He had a suspicious gleam in his eyes. Giving a curt nod, he got onto a window ledge. She went over to him.

"He's not scaring you off, is he?" she whispered.

"No, it is late. I'll see you again. Be careful around that one"

Before she could question him, Devon kissed her hand softly. She felt herself blushing. He vanished in a blur. Lukas grabbed her arm, pulling her down the corridor. She winced from his fingers digging into her skin. Lukas told her not to ever be alone with vampires. He said they only cared about feeding on humans. She called him paranoid. His grip tightened.

"Lukas, you're hurting me"

He let go of her arm. There was a faint bruise. She had no idea what caused his weird behavior.

"I'm sorry. I just—vampires are dangerous"

"Devon's different"

"You've known him for what, five minutes? I don't feel comfortable with you alone in your room. Stay with me tonight"

He brought her into the Ravenclaw common room. She doubted that Devon would ever hurt her. Lukas just seemed to believe Fudge's stories and the prejudice against vampires. She sat on his bed. Max and Roger were still down in Hogsmeade, watching a national quidditch match. Lukas questioned her about abruptly leaving the village. He got Adrian to tell him that Seth had planned to hurt her brother. She did not go into much detail, not wanting to relive the situation.

"Well that Slytherin brat interrupted our dinner"

Lukas kissed her neck. She smiled. His hand slid up her skirt. She stopped him, pushing his hand onto her knee.

"Lukas, I don't want to—it's not that…"

"It's okay. I don't want to pressure you"

He caressed her cheek. "I just want you to know that you're really special to me, Evie"

Suddenly, her back burned. It had been doing that frequently since Ash hatched. She started to get tired.

"I'm going to stay up. I want to make sure that vampire doesn't sneak in"

"Lukas, he has a name and he's harmless"

"I'm just being cautious"

Evani laid down on his bed and fell asleep, thinking about Devon…


	48. Chapter 48: Memories

-The next day- Evani woke up, feeling Lukas's arm around her waist. She slid out from his grip, heading into the bathroom for a shower. As she stepped out of the shower, she conjured a towel to wrap around her. She went over to the mirror, using a spell to dry her hair.

"I must say you make it very difficult to not want to feed on humans again"

Turning around, she saw Devon. He was leaning against the edge of a nearby window. Her eyes widened. He jumped down with a smirk. She went over to the window. The sun was clearly out. Confused, she circled him, checking for any signs of a burn.

"What are you doing?"

"How are you not burning up? Vampires can't be out during the day"

Devon reached into his shirt, pulling on a gold chain. It was connected to a pendant with strange markings. He got it from his maker during the early 1900s. The pendant had dark magic, allowing a vampire to be out in the sunlight. A very small number of vampires received these from the dark wizard Grindelwald, who was similar to Voldemort. Grindelwald used vampires for his personal benefit, offering them a chance to get revenge on the wizards who mistreated them. Evani had read about him in her history book. It mentioned that Dumbledore defeated him in this amazing duel.

"You worked for him?"

"My maker did for a short time. He regrets it because Grindelwald had manipulated him. It's part of the reason why Albus isn't very fond of me"

"So if you wear that, you can go out any time of day?"

"Yes"

She reached for the pendant. He stopped her, telling her it was dangerous to touch any object with dark magic.

"You know, it's not polite to sneak up on a girl in the bathroom"

"I didn't want your boyfriend to catch me and threaten to stake me"

She giggled. "Boy—Lukas isn't my boyfriend. We're just friends. Are you jealous of him?"

He looked taken aback by her accusation. If vampires could blush, his face would be beet-red. She suppressed a smirk. Instead of answering, he pulled out a small rose from his suit pocket. She simply looked at it. He leaned closer to her.

"It's customary that a girl takes a gift. Do muggles do this differently?"

"I don't like roses"

"You're the first girl to say that"

"Bad memories"

Devon was silent, gazing into her eyes. She pushed his shoulder.

"Stop it. I don't like when you try to read me…you do it way too easily. You remind me of—my ex"

"Not a very good thing to be compared to"

"I didn't mean it like that. He was really charming too and he would give me a rose every day. It didn't end well"

"Well I can see why you dislike these then"

He tossed the rose out the window. She got distracted by a loud banging noise. Max and Roger were yelling at Lukas. Apparently, he forgot to unlock the door before falling asleep last night. They had to spend the night in the common room. She forced Devon to leave, not wanting the guys to see him. Lukas would be angry if he found out that she spoke to Devon. She left the bathroom. Lukas was speaking to Roger and Max, who looked annoyed. He made up an excuse that he fell asleep while going over quidditch plays. Max noticed Evani standing by the bathroom door.

"Quidditch plays, huh?"

Lukas blushed. "Evie was just"

"What play involves her? Getting our brooms through a hoop?"

"Max"

Evani took off the towel, having on underwear. She conjured her uniform. As she grabbed her shirt, she noticed Max and Roger blatantly staring. She chucked a pillow at them.

"Take a picture, pervs"

"I'd love a picture"

"Max, in your dreams"

Once she got dressed, she left the common room with Lukas. He walked her down to the history classroom. Reese was standing outside, handing back essays to students. She overheard him tell some girls that they needed extra help from him. By their excited nods, she had a feeling they messed up the essay on purpose. Lukas kissed her cheek and went up the staircase for his Ancient Runes lesson. She walked over to Reese. For a second, she thought he looked envious.

"Hey Evie. I didn't realize you and Lukas were together"

"Toge—we're not dating"

"Oh, my bad. It just looked..."

"It's none of your business anyway"

She grabbed her paper. He was still holding onto it. A flash of fury passed through his eyes. She tugged it out of his hand, giving him a weird look. Passing by him, she entered the classroom. She sat at her desk, stuffing the paper into her bag. Hermione walked over her, sitting beside her.

"Evie, what happened last night? Fred and George said you were angry with Adrian Pucey and almost broke his nose"

"It's a long story. Seth tried to hurt my brother as revenge for my prank"

"I told you not to"

"It's nothing. I got him to back off then after detention, I bumped into Lukas and spent the night with him. No worries, mother. My clothes stayed on all night"

To her confusion, Hermione shot her a stern look. "Evie, you need to be careful"

"Of what? Lukas? He's not going to hurt me, Hermione"

"No. I mean that you could hurt him"

Evani stifled a laugh. Lukas was like a harmless puppy. Hermione claimed that Lukas could misinterpret their time together. Considering they hung out frequently, often alone, he might see it as a relationship. Evani countered that Lukas knew she did not want a boyfriend. They were just hanging out as friends. Hermione told her that a lot of kids gossiped about them being a couple. Evani scoffed.

"They're nosy idiots. Everyone here just blows things out of proportion. You're just like Lukas with Devon last night"

Binns started his lecture on a war in Scotland between two clans of giants. For the first time, Hermione did not pay attention.

"Devon?"

"I met him in Hogsmeade. He's a vampire"

Her eyes grew to the size of a quaffle. "A vam—did he hurt you?"

"No. He's really sweet. Dumbledore doesn't like him much though"

Hermione, like Lukas, thought Devon could be dangerous. She said that Dumbledore was a very tolerant wizard. If he disliked someone, it was for good reason. Evani ignored her concern. As Binns lectured, she felt someone's eyes on her. She noticed Reese watching her closely. It was a bit unsettling. She attempted to ignore it, focusing on the details of a battle. The bell finally rang. They went down to the dungeons for Potions. Snape was already at his desk. Before they could sit in their usual seats, he stopped them. Since the potion today would take too much time for one person to make, he wanted them to work in pairs. Snape began to read off names from a piece of parchment. Each Gryffindor got paired with a Slytherin. Harry and Seth were working together. Seth looked disgusted. Harry groaned, walking over to Seth's desk.

"Rybek, Malfoy"

Evani stayed next to her desk. She stood defiantly, arms crossed over her chest.

"Rybek, go sit with your new partner"

"No"

Snape walked over to her. "You will work with Mister Malfoy"

"I will not"

"It is not your choice. Work with him or you fail this lesson"

Draco sat at her desk. She avoided any eye contact and focused on the blackboard. Snape tapped it with his wand. Instructions began to write themselves. They were working on memory potions, which could recall repressed memories. Their version would be a weakened form so that the memory would show up in quick flashes. Draco brought the ingredients back to the desk. She grabbed the fluxweed, crushing it into a fine powder. Not listening to anything he said, she made the potion on her own. She put ten jobberknoll feathers into the cauldron. A jewelry box appeared in front of her. It opened, revealing a pair of sapphire earrings.

"I got them this morning in Hogsmeade. They're the kind that every witch wants. Pansy has been begging her mom for them for Christmas. I picked sapphire because of your eyes. Only cost 6,000 galleons but it's no big deal. I'd spend anything for you"

Evani ignored him, continuing to read the instructions. "Do you like them?"

She picked up the box. Casually, she threw it into the flames beneath the cauldron. The box melted into a pile of black goo. Draco could not buy her forgiveness.

"Evie, please forgive me. I don't care what you said last night. I won't pretend that you don't exist"

She stirred the neon green solution. As she reached for the bottle of honeywater, Draco picked it up. He held it out of her reach.

"If you forgive me, you get it back and we won't fail"

Her eyes narrowed. He looked determined to regain her friendship. She stared deep into his eyes, controlling his thoughts. Dazed, he handed the bottle to her. She poured a teaspoon of honeywater into the cauldron, finishing off the potion. Draco snapped out of the trance.

"How do you do that? I know you did it to me before...the last time you were mad at me"

Evani feigned a clueless expression. She poured the potion into three vials.

"It's not a memory charm and it wasn't an imperius curse. So what was it?"

He got interrupted by Snape. Each pair was going to test their potion. After a student took a small sip, Snape would ask what they saw in their mind. He judged the effectiveness of the potion based on clarity of the image. Hermione and Tracey, who spent the entire time reading a fashion magazine and forced Hermione to work alone, made a perfect potion. Tracey recalled getting a pair of expensive silver heels for a birthday party. Hermione's memory was of a vacation she spent with her parents in France. Snape walked over to Evani and Draco's desk. Draco drank the neon green solution.

"What did you see?"

"The World Cup last year and Krum getting the snitch after he faked out Lynch for the second time. Lynch was practically unconscious from hitting the ground"

"Miss Rybek"

Evani took a sip of the potion. She figured that her memory would be about her family or friends. Lately, she had been thinking about them a lot. The potion took effect.

~_She was laying on her bed in her old room. Hearing a soft tapping sound, she went over to the window. She opened it, seeing a guy around 15 sitting on a nearby tree branch. He had tousled raven-black hair and entrancing blue-green eyes. _

_"Alec, what are you doing? If my dad catches you"_

_"I'm not scared of him"_

_Behind his back, he took out a single red rose. She smiled. As she put it in a vase with multiple other roses, he entered her room. His arms wrapped around her. He kissed her softly. It made her knees weaken. Alec was always able to take her breath away. _

_"I love you so much, Evani"_

_"I love you too. My dad's wrong about you"_

_"He's just jealous. He wishes that he could have what we do. We won't have to worry about it soon"_

_"Why not?"_

_"We'll get married and then leave this stupid town for good. Technically, we're already married" _

_"Giving me a ring pop doesn't count, silly"_

_Alec kissed her again, this time with more passion. They fell onto her bed. He slid her shorts down. She felt something sharp hit her thigh. Sitting up, she saw a shallow cut. There was a knife in his pocket. She grabbed it._

_"Why do you have this?" she asked, confused. _

_"My grandfather took me hunting. He made me kill a deer"_

_There was blood on his shirt. He took the knife, putting it on her nightstand._

_"You killed it?" _

_"To shut the old geezer up. Forget about it. All I want to talk about is how much I love you" _

_Alec cupped her cheek. "I'll protect you no matter what…until my last day. I won't ever let anyone hurt you" ~ _

Evani found herself back in the classroom. She could feel tears in her eyes. Her heart was literally aching.

"What did you s"

Quickly, she left the classroom. She went down to the lake. Sitting against a tree, she closed her eyes. Tears trickled down her face. Just thinking about the memory made her cry harder. It started to rain. The droplets bounced off of her.

"Evie?"

Hermione was standing by the tree. She put her wand in her pocket.

"I found you with the 'point-me' spell and used an impervius charm to block the rain"

Evani was quiet. Hermione sat beside her.

"Do you want to talk?"

Evani shook her head. "We can just sit here...as long as you need"

With a sniffle, she leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione put her arm around her, comfortingly. They just sat by the lake, neither saying a word. The rain became heavier as Evani sobbed…

* * *

**A/N: So I'm not bringing in this random ex-boyfriend for no reason. He is a big part of Evani's life and how her personality is today. Something to note is that she always immediately tells people to call her Evie but Alec called her by her full name. She even told Devon in the previous chapter about just preferring Evie, which could be due to the fact that hearing her full name reminds her of Alec and the past. Devon reminds her of Alec, which is why she is intrigued by him but at the same time, she doesn't like that he can read her so easily. She's usually good at hiding her emotions and thoughts yet he understands her really well. He's going to play a large part in Evani's story. He was her first and only boyfriend. Another thing to notice is that Evani's father did not like Alec for some reason and clearly disapproved of them dating. Was it just him being an overprotective father or something more? What happened to their relationship had a big effect on Evani, making it harder for her to get into intimate relationships and trust people in general. It's going to be drawn out in later chapters, tying into what is going on with Evani right now. **


	49. Chapter 49: Dangerous Thoughts

-December- The incident in Potions made Evani miss her friends and family even more. She had friends at Hogwarts but no one that she felt extremely close to, not even Harry. If her friends back in Dallas had seen her crying, she would have been cheered up in mere seconds. No one at Hogwarts fully knew her and her past. Harry assumed that she relived the memory of the attack from Bass. Not wanting to say anything, she agreed, pretending it had to do with him. Hermione was not as easily fooled. She knew that it had been something else that made Evani break down. Evani counted the days until her departure from Hogwarts. Once winter break began, she would go home to Texas where she belonged. She did not care about Bass, Voldemort, or their agenda. They would never intimidate her. She began spending a lot more time with Devon. He just understood her completely. Every night, she snuck out to his home, meeting other vampires, including his progeny.

Her scent proved problematic in the beginning. His younger progeny had to be aggressively threatened to not harm her. It took a few weeks before they were comfortable. She became close to the only girl in the group, Cassi. Devon turned her in the 1800s just after she turned 20. Cassi was like a big sister to her. Evani felt a strange connection to all of them. Sometimes, she would spend entire nights with Devon, listening to stories of his past and being a vampire. When her friends at Hogwarts became protective, asking where she ran off to after dinner, she told them about Devon. The guys were less enthusiastic. Harry found it extremely risky. He did not trust Devon at all, despite never meeting him. To distract him, she started playing matchmaker for him and Cho. She would set up little incidents to get them to talk to eachother. Harry seemed to be interested. She spotted them talking outside of class and even at meals. Ginny and Serena attempted to dissuade her from setting them up for unknown reasons. While she hung out with Devon, she still kept her distance from Draco. He kept trying to win her over by being extra nice or buying her gifts. She would not accept any of them, not falling for his act.

Evani was in the greenhouse for another boring Herbology lesson. Sprout had them working in pairs to care for a Fanged Geranium. When Draco attempted to pair up with Evani, Hermione quickly stood beside her. He continued to shoot her nasty looks during the lesson. Hermione was attempting to clean the plant's leaves. When she grabbed a leaf, the plant would snap at her. Evani immobilized it. Hermione used a small rag to clean off dirt.

"Thanks for keeping Malfoy away from me"

"He's being quite persistent"

"He doesn't know when to back off"

"He misses you"

Evani let out a small scoff. She poured water into the pot with a watering can. Hermione was watching her.

"What? Is it too much water?"

"Can we talk about"

"Drop it"

The Potions incident made Hermione act even more like a concerned mother. For weeks, she attempted to get information out of Evani. Though she trusted Hermione, she did not want to discuss Alec. It was a very painful subject. Hermione would randomly bring it up to catch Evani off guard. It was starting to annoy her.

"Evie"

"Please just drop it. I told you it was about Bass"

"You're lying. You've always been so confident about dealing with Bass. It was something else"

Before Hermione could question her more, the lesson ended. Evani put the protective covering over the Fanged Geranium. Picking up the pot, she went over to the holding case. She waited behind Susan. As she put the pot down, Sprout called her over. She handed her a note from Dumbledore. It was written in small, cursive handwriting. The note read '_St. Mungo's, 5:00, Sage'_. She knew it had to do with her therapy appointment. The name must refer to the person she would be seeing. She felt someone behind her. Draco was glancing over her shoulder, his eyes on the note. She made it disintegrate and left the greenhouse. He followed after her, pestering her with questions. She tried to ignore him. Draco asked why she was going to St. Mungo's. He believed that Devon had attempted to harm her and the healers would give her a potion to keep him away. She did not even bother to ask how he knew about Devon. Serena told her how Draco would ask about Evani all the time. She would not put it past him to stalk her. As they entered the castle, she could not take it anymore. Angrily, she turned around.

"First of all, Devon is not going to hurt me. He's not like that"

"He's a vampire"

"And out of the two of you, only one has hit me"

Draco looked uncomfortable. "Second, it isn't your business what I do. So stop bothering me"

"Why are you going to St. Mungo's?"

"Maybe I told Dumbledore that a blonde ferret is stalking me and I want to have committed to the mental ward"

He was silent. Before she could walk away, she heard Pansy's shrill voice. His little Slytherin followers entered the castle. Lately, Pansy had been very clingy to Draco. She would be by his side all the time. Though Daphne claimed they were now a real couple, Evani knew different. Draco would flinch from Pansy's mere touch. She assumed that he played along, wanting to annoy Evani. Serena said it was a ploy to make her jealous. Evani found it all pathetic. Considering Draco kept trying to regain Evani's friendship, Pansy became much more hostile to her. She seemed to forget their little chat the day of the first quidditch match.

"And Lassie's here too. Have you sniffed out any trouble today? Any kids fall down a well?"

"What's going on here?"

"Nothing. Go take yourself for a walk"

Pansy glared. "I'm not an idiot. Stop trying to make him like you again. He's finally seen what a stupid mudblood you are"

Evani got in Pansy's face. "You know, Pugsy, maybe if you were able to satisfy him in bed, he'd stop following me around like a helpless puppy"

"Shut up, Rybek or I'll"

"You'll what? Embarrass yourself in another duel?"

"I'll tell Seth to go back to your house and this time, he won't wuss out" she hissed.

In the next instant, Pansy was on her knees. She clutched the sides of her heads in intense pain. Shaking, she reached for her wand. It zoomed out of her hand. Evani caught it. She twirled it between her fingers.

"S—stop it"

"Make me stop. Come on, Parkinson. You're a big, bad pureblood. Put me in my place"

Pansy could barely open her eyes. Her clique just stood there, looking scared. All Evani thought about was making her suffer. Draco grabbed her arm, pleading for her to stop. She wrenched herself from his grip. Grabbing his wrist, she squeezed tightly. He winced. A sudden urge overcame her. She wanted to hurt him more. Random thoughts flashed through her mind of the Slytherins being injured in various ways. It changed to Harry lying in a pool of blood. That one thought snapped her back to reality. She reversed the hex. Pansy stayed on the floor, panting. Evani let go of Draco's wrist and went up to the Gryffindor common room. Instead of dinner, she stayed in her room, laying on her bed. When it was almost time for her appointment, she apparated to St. Mungo's. She went over to the receptionist desk.

"Hi. I'm here to see Healer Sage"

"Fourth floor, room 20" the woman replied in a bored tone.

Evani walked up a nearby staircase. Once she reached the fourth floor, she looked for the room. She stopped in front of a door near the end of the hallway. A sign next to the door read '_Annette Sage, St. Mungo's Healer since 1920'_. Evani knocked on the door. It swung open on its own. The room was similar to a therapist's office in the muggle world. An elderly woman sat at a desk, looking at a large folder. Seeing Evani, she smiled. She got up from the desk.

"You must be Evie. No need to be shy. I'm Healer Sage"

The elderly woman shook her hand, politely. "You can call me whatever you like. Have a seat"

Evani sat on a small couch. Sage conjured a chair for herself. She told Evani a few things about herself and the sessions. Encouraging her to not feel nervous, she explained that the sessions were for her benefit. If Evani did not want to talk about something, Sage would not pressure her. She told her not to see these sessions as a sign of something being wrong. Numerous wizards of all ages came to see her. It was common for wizards, especially those from the muggle world, to experience issues with control. She asked Evani a few simple questions about herself. After a while, Evani got more comfortable. Sage grabbed the folder from her desk.

"Dumbledore's given me a few notes. He says you're a very gifted young witch. Let's talk about what happened after the quidditch match. What were you feeling?"

"Angry"

"What made you angry?"

"My friend—well he used to be my friend…he hit me"

"On purpose?"

"I was trying to stop him from fighting with my other friends. He shoved me and I hit my head"

Sage questioned her about why it made her angry. Evani claimed she was mad that Draco treated her like some fragile doll. She admitted that when feeling strong emotions, her magic just took control of her. Sage used the same method for other random accidents, including the one with Sirius though Dumbledore gave her a fake name. She even spoke about the situation with Bass.

"Let's talk about Jane Weston"

Evani tensed up. Her fingers dug into the couch. She forgot that Jayce had spoken to Dumbledore. They would have talked about past incidents from back home.

"No. I don't want to talk about it…or anything that wasn't from the past few months. Things were different then. I wasn't in a good place"

"You know, the past can affect our current behavior. I do want to talk about Alec Bennett"

Evani knew that Sage would not allow her to avoid this topic. Jayce would obviously bring up Alec. Those past incidents occurred around the time of their breakup. Sage questioned her about Alec. Evani told her that they had a very loving relationship. She purposely avoided the bad times.

"Your brother said that your father disliked you two together. Why is that?"

"He thought Alec wasn't good enough. All dads are like that"

"What caused the breakup? You sound like you loved him very much"

"I do—did"

Evani gripped the seat of the couch even harder. She was reluctant to say anything. Sage encouraged her to take her time. After ten minutes of tense silence, she started talking. She told Sage about Alec becoming overly protective. He would get angry if she hung around guys or if a guy just looked at her. One night, he had snuck into her room and Evani found the blood on his shirt. It was the same night that the memory potion brought up in class. That same night, cops arrived at her home. They claimed that Alec had stabbed two guys to death that night and six others over the past few weeks. Thinking it was a mistake, she hid Alec in her room. He later confessed to the killings. Alec believed that the guys were trying to take her away from him. He said he did it to protect her and their relationship. When the cops found him, he was sent to a juvenile detention center. He had been there now for almost a year. Her parents never let her see him but she got letters from him every day. The aftermath of it all made her go by Evie because hearing her full name made her think of Alec. Sage looked very sympathetic.

"That's a very traumatic experience. Do you think that's why you react so strongly to someone helping you?"

Evani shrugged. "I guess so"

"I know it was difficult to share that with me. Dumbledore also mentioned you've been having some…dangerous thoughts"

Sage assumed that the cause was Alec and the trauma of his actions. Evani did not mention that these urges started before she even dated Alec. As a little girl, she had these flashes of anger and wanting to hurt people. It would just be passing thoughts. These got worse when she entered the wizarding world. Sage went on about various methods to ease her anger, such as using calming draughts. If she ever got in a situation that might lead to anger, Sage recommended getting out of the situation quickly or just taking deep breaths before doing anything rash. She conjured a small bottle of blue pills. Sage explained that they had a potion inside, aiding with getting rid of those bad thoughts. The sessions would happen every week at this time. Evani left the office. As she reached the staircase, her head seared with pain. She leaned against the railing, closing her eyes. In her head, she saw herself hurting her friends and family. She was using magic to strangle Serena and ripped out her heart.

"Miss?"

The thoughts stopped. A man was touching her shoulder. He looked worried.

"Are you all right, miss?"

She nodded. Quietly, she left the hospital and apparated back to the castle. She went up to the common room. It was mostly empty, except for a few kids doing homework. She saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione at their usual spot by the fireplace. Harry looked up from his Potions book.

"Evie, here you are. How did…it go?"

Evani had mentioned the therapy to them a few days after Dumbledore mentioned the idea. Hermione thought it would be good to talk with someone since Evani tended to keep things to herself.

"It was…"

The thoughts started up again. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to drive them out. Tears filled her eyes. Harry brought her over to the couch. She quietly told them about what had been going on recently. All three looked worried.

"Why didn't you tell Dumbledore they were happening before?" asked Hermione.

"It seemed like nothing. They were barely thoughts. But ever since I came here"

"To Hogwarts?"

"No, since I…met Harry"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, surprised.

"I just—they're happening all the time now. Like today, after Pansy was bothering me…Malfoy tried to stop me and I wanted to hurt him so bad"

"I've been there, Evie" said Ron.

"This is different!"

The other kids in the common room glanced over at them. They whispered to each other. Harry threw them a harsh glare, making them go back to their work. Evani sniffled.

"Take those pills she gave you. She said they'd help. Take them and go rest"

She was scared to even fall asleep. What if she just kept dreaming about hurting people? Reluctantly, she swallowed two of the pills. Harry let her rest her head on his lap. Sniffling, she fell asleep…

~Harry~

Harry was rubbing Evani's back. She had fallen asleep on his lap. Both Ron and Hermione watched her with concerned expressions. Like Harry, Evani tended to keep her feelings and thoughts bottled up inside her. He could not believe that she was having these troubling thoughts during the summer but did not tell him once. She always mentioned her family just acted that way. They would rather handle their problems on their own than ask for help. Tears trickled down her face. He knew she was having a nightmare. She had the same expression during the summer at the Privet Drive. Harry always assumed it was due to Bass but it seemed to be something worse. He wiped the tears away.

"Harry"

Lavender and Parvati had just entered the common room. They were their usual giggling selves.

"Cho was looking for you. She wanted to know if you could help her with her levitation charm"

Grabbing a pillow, he put it under her head. He got up from the couch. Ron looked at him, confused.

"You're going to see Cho?"

"Just watch Evie"

Harry left the common room. Going down the staircase, he stopped in front of a door. He knocked twice. The door opened, revealing McGonagall.

"Potter? It's almost curfew. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, professor"

"If this is about Professor Umbridge"

"It's about Evie"

McGonagall let him into her office. There were paper strewn across her desk. Some had been heavily marked with her quill.

"Is Miss Rybek all right?"

"No, she's not all right. Dumbledore's too busy so I wanted to talk to you"

He spent the next half-hour telling McGonagall about Evani's 'nightmares'. Though she claimed Dumbledore was aware, she looked surprised when Harry mentioned they started earlier.

"She said they started when she was staying with me. I just—what can I do? I hate seeing her upset and I feel helpless"

McGonagall sighed. "Let the healers do their job, Potter. Within a few weeks, she'll be better"

Frustrated, he left her office. He returned to the common room. Evani and Hermione were gone. Ron told him that Hermione brought her up to the spare room on the girls' side and gave her a calming draught. He questioned if Harry had actually gone to see Cho. Harry explained that he went to McGonagall but it was pointless. He headed up the stairs towards the dormitories. Quickly, he ran up the girls' side. He entered the spare room. Evani was sleeping, clutching a pillow. It had been covered in tear stains. Harry sat on the bed. Her back had that golden glow again. It was similar to that night at the Dursleys. He pulled back the covers. Instead of just a single line, he now saw a full mark of a dragon. His fingers brushed against it. She let out a cry of pain. His fingers burned. Quickly, he moved his hand. The glow vanished. As she slept, he continued to stare at the mark, wondering where it came from…


	50. Chapter 50: Leaving Hogwarts?

-Two weeks later- Evani began to attend the therapy sessions twice a week. It felt good to be able to speak to someone without worry of someone else hearing the discussion. Sage was empathetic and kind. She never judged Evani for her past actions. Seeing Alec as the source of the control issues, a lot of time was spent talking about him. At first, she found it difficult, having not even discussed him with her parents. After he was sent to jail, she prohibited her friends and family from even mentioning his name. Sage's advice helped Evani keep her magic under control even when Pansy decided to instigate another fight. Evani just ignored her taunts, focusing on other things like her schoolwork. Despite the benefits of the therapy, there were still some problems. The prescribed pills did little to help with the disturbing thoughts in her head. They had seeped into her sleep, turning into recurring nightmares. Sometimes, she would stay up all night to avoid them. Hermione encouraged her to take the pills, thinking the effects would happen gradually. Though her friends tried talking to her about the nightmares, she kept them to herself. She knew that they would think she was insane. Harry already went into major overprotective mode. He would stay by her side all the time except late at night. The only upside was that it prevented Draco from bothering her.

She had just gotten out of the shower. Using magic, she quickly dried her hair. There was a DA meeting tonight, the last one before winter break started. Evani had decided to not return to Hogwarts. She wanted to be back home. The last two days could not be done soon enough. Evani worried about how her friends here would react, knowing they would want her to stay despite her original deal with Lupin. Even though she wanted to leave the school, she decided that she would continue the therapy sessions and accept help from the Order. She went over to her dresser to pick out an outfit. As she put on a long-sleeved v-neck sweater, she slipped into a daydream.

~_Evani _ _was walking down to the common room. She saw Harry sitting in an armchair near the fireplace. He had fallen asleep, his Charms book open on his lap. Someone had left a pair of scissors on a table, using them to cut out pictures of Viktor Krum from a copy of Witch Weekly. She grabbed the scissors and walked towards the armchair. Crinkling her nose, she immobilized him. She slashed the scissors across his throat. His eyes popped open. He struggled to move his hands as blood poured from his throat. His eyes flickered up to her. She stared back at him, blankly. The scenery kept changing rapidly, each more gruesome than the next. In between the flashes of violence, she heard random voices pleading with her to stop and calling her name. The scenery changed to her home. She was outside one of the bathrooms, seeing her father. He filled up the bathtub and created a romantic atmosphere with rose petals and candles. Seeing her, he smiled. _

_"Think your mother will like it as part of her anniversary gift?" _

_He winced, moving back towards the bathtub. Evani entered the bathroom. _

_"Evie? What are you doing?"_

_A force pushed his head into the bathtub and kept it submerged. His body shook for a few minutes. The scenery changed to a castle, though it was not Hogwarts. It reminded her of medieval times. She heard loud screams and cries. Stepping outside the castle, she saw multiple dragons in the air. Some were Romanian Razortails. The dragons appeared to be aiding in some kind of battle. On the ground, wizards were dueling. One of the men, dressed in expensive robes, called out to the dragons in a foreign language. He had a book in his hand, which looked similar to her dragon journal. The dragons listened and began charring people down below. As the man began to turn towards her, the scenery changed again. She was in a bathroom, dressed in her Hogwarts uniform. Her reflection looked very different. There were blue streaks in her dark hair and shadows behind the pupils of her eyes. Blood covered her face and clothes. A hooded figure stood behind her, speaking some weird language. The reflection smirked back at her, touching his hand. Evani's back began to burn intensely. She screamed, feeling like her body was being torn in half. _

_"Evie? Evie!" ~_

She snapped out of the dream. Breathing heavily, she found herself sitting on the floor. Ginny was knelt down in front of her, looking very worried.

"Evie, just relax"

"What happened?"

"I was coming to get you for the meeting. I found you on the floor. Your eyes rolled back and you were shaking really bad. It was like you got cursed"

Evani got up from the floor. "I need to go to St. Mungo's"

"Now? It's nearly 9 and we have the DA mee"

She left the room. Once she was outside the castle, she apparated to St. Mungo's. She headed right up to Sage's office. Sage was packing up her things in a purse.

"Evie, what are you doing here? Our next session isn't until Friday"

"I need to talk"

Evani expected Sage to tell her to return tomorrow morning or wait until their appointment. Instead, the elderly woman nodded and put down her purse. Evani did not even bother to sit down. She started rambling about the nightmares. Sage listened to her, not saying a word. Evani told her how they got worse every time. The pills and calming draughts were doing nothing. As she talked about the recent dream, her breathing got shallower. She began hyperventilating. Sage made her sit down, keeping her hand over hers.

"Just give me something stronger"

"Evie, the pills will work"

"They're not! You don't understand what I'm seeing! I want it to stop!"

Flicking her wand, Sage conjured a calming draught. Evani took a small sip. It made her relax a bit. She put her head between her knees. Sage rubbed her back.

"You know, I had a patient who was very much like you"

"Really?"

"Oh yes, you remind me so much of him. He started seeing me around the same age. He was such a treasure at Hogwarts…prefect, Head Boy, many awards for his academic achievements. Dumbledore recommended him here as well. He had a similar case to you. He had a tendency to use magic on his own terms. You couldn't blame him though. He was from the muggle world and didn't know all of the rules. He'd have little accidents when angered. It was a lot of magic to handle for such a young boy"

"D—did you help him?"

"Oh yes, he was all better within a few months. I know he went on to do great things. I forget his name. This old mind isn't as it used to be. Let me go get some more draughts and we'll continue talking"

Sage left the room. Evani got up from the couch and walked over to a filing cabinet. She wanted to read about this guy to figure out how he got better. For a few minutes, she searched the various files. She stopped at one with the name 'Tom Riddle'. Harry mentioned that was Voldemort's real name. She took out the file. Curiously, she flipped through it. There were random notes about his childhood spent in an orphanage and his time at Hogwarts. As she read the file, her hands started to shake. Sage had been referring to him as the similar case. She wrote about him having disturbing thoughts and dreams and losing control when angered. Evani grabbed her own file. Sitting on the couch, she continued to read the file on Voldemort. Dumbledore had written his own notes before the therapy started. He said that Tom was a brilliant boy who used his charm and good looks to manipulate people to his benefit. Dumbledore claimed that Tom needed to be watched closely because he possessed powerful magic and could be a danger to himself and others. He worried that without proper teaching, keeping him good would be hopeless. It mentioned random incidents that he had been directly caused or had suspected involvement. Evani glanced at her own file, skipping right to the notes. Dumbledore's words were nearly identical. He wrote that she had possible involvement in Pansy's accident, noting that, like Tom, she could lie with ease. His notes also mentioned Alec, believing he made her situation worsen more quickly. Other notes made her furious. Her fists clenched against the folder. She slammed it repeatedly against the couch, cursing. Using magic, she completely trashed the office. Evani apparated back to the castle, landing in her room.

She began packing all of her things. Shadow and Ash were on her bed. She put them in her tote bag, telling them to be quiet. As she chucked her clothes into a suitcase, she heard the door open. Emily and Spencer entered the room. They noticed her packed bags. Emily smirked.

"Is Umbridge sending you and the mudbloods outside the castle, Rybek? It's about time"

"No. I'm leaving for good. Throw a party, West"

They looked at her, confused. "You don't just leave"

"Watch me"

Her bags became smaller, fitting into one suitcase. She put her bag on her shoulder and left the room, carrying the suitcase. The common room was mostly empty except for a few kids doing work. To her dismay, she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione by the fireplace. Did they ever do their homework at a normal time? She tried to sneak past them. Harry smiled.

"Evie, here you are. Ginny said you were feeling sick. You missed a good m—what are you doing?"

Not answering him, she left the common room. She hurried down the staircase. As she reached the ground floor, she could hear them calling after her.

"Evie, wait!"

"Potter, Weasley, Granger, Rybek. Out for a late night adventure?"

Snape was walking towards them. He looked ready to take 200 points from Gryffindor. His smug expression faltered at the sight of her bags.

"Rybek, where are you going?"

"Home"

"There are two days left of term"

"I don't care. I'm not coming back"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her, surprised. She told Snape about Lupin's deal with her at the Dursleys. It was her choice to stay at Hogwarts the entire year or go home after the first term. The door remained locked. Dumbledore and McGonagall were rushing down the staircase.

"Evani, what is the matter? Annette informed me that"

"Take that information and shove it"

"Miss Rybek" said McGonagall, shocked.

Evani glared daggers at Dumbledore. "Evani, please let us discuss this. The other professors and I are looking out for your safety"

"Fine, let's discuss these"

From her bag, she took out the two files. Dumbledore looked a bit uneasy. He questioned where she got the folders. With a scoff, she told him how she saw through his deceptions. It turned out that Dumbledore knew Bass was going to attack her during the summer. He allowed it to happen, wanting to get her at Hogwarts for her supposed protection. She knew it meant the Order pretended to be surprised by her presence at the Dursleys. They had been lying to her when she stayed at Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore was aware that Voldemort wanted to capture her. He even lied about the point of the sessions at the training center. They were intended to understand her full capabilities and limits. Like the man at the Hog's Head told her, Dumbledore wanted to use her.

"Evani, you must understand"

"Oh I fully understand. You think I'm just like this lunatic"

"That is not true"

She opened the files. "Tom Riddle is a gifted boy who uses his charm on others to get his way and manipulate them. Evani is fully aware that she can use her looks and charm to hide others from seeing her true intentions and making herself seem innocent. I fear that Tom is going down a dark path and I have failed him as his professor. Evani may be hopeless in stopping her descent down the wrong path…"

Harry's eyes widened, realizing she was talking about Voldemort. She kept pointing out the similarities between both files. Dumbledore remained silent. Her voice began to crack.

"Bass is a psycho but he was right about one thing. You're just using me"

"Evani"

"You messed up with Riddle and you're trying to make that up through me. I'm not some experiment! You think I'm no better than him! I'm going home! I'm not some pawn in your stupid game!"

"Evani, you need to remain here. I can help"

"Help? Everything was fine until I came here! You've been purposely not helping me with Bass to keep me trapped here! If you or your precious Order come near me, I swear that I'll make him look like a saint. That's a promise"

She pushed her hand forward. The doors burst open. She left the castle. Someone grabbed her wrist. It was Harry. He gave her a pleading look.

"Evie, stay. You're reading that file wrong. You're nothing like Voldemort"

Tears filled her eyes. "It's just making things worse. I was fine until I started being around wizards all the time. I need to go home"

"But—I can come see you, right? I could use the floo network at the Burrow and"

"I think that's a bad idea. I don't want to hurt you. I need to stop—whatever is going on in my head"

"This isn't goodbye. Don't"

"It might be"

She hugged him. He gripped her tightly. Tears fell onto her blouse. She pecked his cheek and apparated. A second later, she landed inside her home. Jayce left the kitchen.

"Evie, what are you—why are you back early?"

He noticed her depressed state. Instead of questioning her, he brought her into the home theater. There were snacks on the table. He got her a carton of chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream.

"We don't have to talk. Let's just pig out and watch movies until Mom and Dad get back from their party"

Evani opened the carton while he put a DVD into the player. When he sat beside her, she leaned her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her. They spent the next few hours watching horror movies in silence…

* * *

**A/N: This is not the end of the story. Even though Evani left Hogwarts, I've written a way for her to go back though it may not be by her own choice. I wanted her to leave because after the revelations she got from the files, it would be unrealistic if she just ignored it and acted like it was nothing. It's a lot for her to take in at once. She's learned that Dumbledore sees a likeness to Voldemort in her and there are some actual similarities as described in the chapter. I've really liked writing this arc of Evani slowly breaking down. In the beginning of the story, she was this confident, fearless girl and now she's been broken by deceptions from Dumbledore and these nightmares. It's a complete 180 for her and other characters. In the beginning, Jayce was this antagonistic character who hated his sister and now he's the one comforting her. I promise that Evani is going to be back at Hogwarts within a few chapters. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	51. Chapter 51: Deceptions

-Two weeks later- Evani was enjoying being back in Dallas. She spent all of her time reconnecting with her friends. They never wanted to see her leave again. She did not realize how much she actually missed them until the day after she returned. Her parents assumed that the situation with Bass was over. She played along, not wanting to give them any reason to worry. Jayce saw through her lies. When he called her out on being too stubborn, she told him the truth about Dumbledore. He regretted telling Dumbledore about her past mistakes and getting their parents to agree to the therapy. Every day, she received messages on _WizSpark _or texts from her friends at Hogwarts. Evani ignored them, wanting to put that all behind her. She felt guilty that she had to end her friendships with them to get away from Dumbledore. Her friends convinced her it was the right thing to do, not wanting her to be used like some puppet. Instead of hiding like some scared child, she decided to confront Bass directly a few days ago. She cornered him outside of his home and did what no one else would, giving him exactly what he deserved.

Evani had just entered the American Ministry. As she walked over to the elevator, people gave her curt nods and kind smiles. She went up to the top floor and stopped at a door at the end of the hallway. There was a keypad to the side by the handle. She pressed her finger against the top of the pad. It pricked her finger, drawing a drop of blood. She typed in the code 2277. The door swung open. She entered an enormous office. An owl was waiting outside the window. She opened it, allowing the owl to fly into the room. There was a letter tied to its leg. Taking the letter, she fed the owl a small treat. It left the office. She unfolded the letter. It merely said '_The plan begins tonight_'. She sat at the desk, reading the letter multiple times. Tapping the note with her finger, she changed the message. Opening a drawer, she placed the note inside. She got onto the laptop, searching various documents. The door opened. A girl in her mid 20s entered the office, holding a stack of folders. She looked surprised seeing Evani.

"Oh, I didn't realize you'd be in here"

"It's no problem, Amanda. You are my assistant"

"I have all of the information that you'll need to prepare your speech at the event tonight"

"Thank you"

"It's no trouble, sir"

In the reflection of the laptop, Evani saw Bass's face staring back at her. She suppressed a smirk. Amanda began talking about the speech. She suggested adding in a recent attack that occurred last night. In Hogsmeade, there had been a fight between some wizards and vampires. There were casualties on both sides. The _Daily Prophet_ reported that the vampires were resisting arrest for crimes against the wizarding community. They claimed to have sufficient evidence that linked them to murders of well-respected wizards. Evani worried that Devon was one of the vampires attacked. She attempted to hide her concern. As Amanda recommended highlighting the brutality of the vampires, Evani got up from the desk.

"I'd like to visit them"

"I'm sure Fudge will handle the incident, Mr. Bass"

"Are you questioning me?"

Amanda looked anxious. "N—no. It would be good to see them. You can give a first-hand account of how despicable those vampires are acting. Should I set up the floo network?"

"No. I'll just apparate. I'll go alone. You can work on my speech by yourself"

"You can trust me, sir"

Evani apparated out of the office, landing inside of St. Mungo's. She went over to the receptionist desk. A middle-aged woman was telling people where to go. Seeing her in the form of Bass, she looked practically starstruck. She fixed up her hair. Evani resisted rolling her eyes.

"Oh Mr. Bass. What brings you here?"

"I'm here to see the vampires who were attacked last night"

"The healers don't want anyone alone with them. They're quite dangerous"

"Surely you can make an exception for me. I can handle a few foolish vampires"

The woman nodded, charmed by her appearance. "Fourth floor, third door on the left"

She rushed up to the 4th floor. Opening one of the doors, she saw people, ranging from their teens to late 40s, laying in hospital beds. She recognized most of them from Devon's mansion. They were covered in a series of burns and cuts. Some looked barely able to move. A force knocked her into the wall, lifting her up by her neck. Devon was in front of her, fangs bared and growling.

"Get out of here, you slime. I know who you associate with and if he sent you to threaten us more, you can tell him that I'm not intimidated"

"Devon, it's"

Cassi appeared behind him, having an angered expression. "Give me one reason not to crush your throat"

"It's Evie"

She changed back to herself. His eyes widened. He let go of her. She rubbed her throat.

"Evie, I didn't realize—why did you look like Bass?"

"To get in here more easily" she lied.

"Nice trick" said Cassi, smirking.

Devon told Cassi to watch over the others. Cassi immediately went to the bedside of a guy around her age, who was her mate. He had some of the worst injuries. Cassi held his hand. Evani felt bad for her. Grabbing her arm, Devon forced her out of the room. Evani questioned what happened last night. They went into an empty supply closet. She was taken aback by the harsh glare on his face.

"You just left"

"Devon"

"Not a goodbye, not even a note. I had to hear it from Cassi, who had been hunting in the forest and saw the scar-headed boy wonder crying about it to the half-giant"

"I'm sorry"

"You're sorry? That's all you're going to say?"

Evani could tell that he had been hurt by her abrupt exit from the castle. She told him that there was no other choice. It angered her when he called her a coward for running. She argued that she could not stay at Hogwarts after learning what Dumbledore thought of her and what he had done. Devon was silent when she mentioned being compared to a lunatic like Voldemort. He still called her a coward and argued that she should have proved Dumbledore wrong. His words got to her. Part of her had believed Dumbledore. She found it hard to ignore the similarities between her and a young Tom Riddle but could not bear to accept it. It made her wonder if, like Dumbledore said, she was hopeless. Devon sighed.

"I was worried about you. I even asked friends of mine in the states to tell me how you were doing"

"We can talk about it later. Who attacked you?"

"Death eaters. They were disguised as travelers looking for the pub and then got us behind our backs, right before dawn. It's when we're at our weakest. The dirty gits opened the door to let in light. It was an unfair fight"

"Why did they attack you?" asked Evani.

Devon crossed his arms over his chest. He told her that Voldemort was attempting to recruit them. During the first war, hundreds joined him, believing he would give them what they wanted. Like Grindelwald, he manipulated them with false promises. The first war had seen many of them killed. With his return, vampires were less willing to aid him. Voldemort wanted to recruit Devon due to his strength and strong influence over his kind. Devon had even refused him in the first war. Fudge was secretly thrilled with the attack. It had been perfect ammunition to turn wizards against vampires by depicting the vampires as the aggressors in the situation.

"He did it to send a message. We drained about half of those who attacked us"

"Why aren't the rest of them healing?"

"Because they used dark magic. Younger vampires have a harder time dealing with it"

Evani offered to help with the problem. Devon refused, not wanting her to get involved. Her fists clenched.

"I'm not a little kid"

"Voldemort is not someone to take lightly. I don't want to see you hurt. Promise me that you won't confront him or any of his followers"

After a minute, she sighed. "Fine. I won't do anything"

She sensed something was wrong. Pushing up his shirt, she saw a deep gash across his chest. Devon passed it off as nothing, saying it would heal within a week. She lightly pressed her fingers on the wound. It glowed bright blue. Within a few seconds, the wound vanished.

"I assume you're not going to the conference tonight at the American Ministry, considering who might be there"

Tonight, the British Ministry was hosting a special conference. It had to do with the rights of non-wizards, including giants, werewolves, and vampires. There would be speeches for both sides, arguing whether or not they deserved equality. Bass had organized the event months ago. Ministers of Magic from all over the world and other prominent wizards would be in attendance. It would influence their votes at the International Confederation for certain laws. The letter that Bass received referred to the conference. Voldemort wanted to use the event to sway them to his side. Bass was supposed to give a speech that would anger the non-wizards. To the public, he had no association with the death eaters. By rejecting their rights, the non-wizards would be persuaded to join Voldemort, believing that Bass's position would guarantee that others voted the same as him. The conference would happen at the American Ministry. She planned on going to unravel Voldemort's scheme to protect Devon and Caleb.

"Oh, I'm going"

"You are? Do you want to go together?"

She smiled, mischeviously. "Are you asking me on a date?"

For the first time, Devon looked a bit uneasy. He chuckled.

"A date? No, it's just two people arriving at the same event together"

"Uh huh. I'll meet you there" she replied, continuing to smile.

Evani apparated from the hospital. She landed inside of her house. Loud shrieks could be heard throughout the house. She entered the living room. Her friends were hanging around. The guys played a videogame involving zombies. She spotted Ash and Shadow on the floor with the girls and Ryder. Isabel was cheering as Shadow did various tricks. Melody grabbed a bag of marshmallows. She put one in front of Ash. After a few tries, he let out a stream of fire, charring it.

"Good one, Ash"

Ryder set up a city using blocks and toys. He encouraged Ash to knock it down. His camera was in his hand. Shaking her head, Evani entered the room. She let Ash crawl onto her lap.

"Ry, please tell me you didn't go out and buy those"

"No, they're mine from when I was little"

"Even more depressing that you still have them"

He playfully glared. "Way to ruin my shot. We finally have a good actor for a monster movie"

Melody grabbed another marshmallow. James told her to let the dragon rest for a while. She scrunched her nose at him. With her return, Evani let it slip about James being a wizard. Her friends were understandably angry, considering they had known James for a long time. He claimed that the Ministry's statute of secrecy kept him from telling the truth. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed another beer.

"Still mad, Mel? Really?"

"I'm not speaking to you"

"You just did"

Evani stifled a laugh. Aryn questioned when she would let the other eggs hatch. She wanted to learn how to care for Ash before having more dragons. An hour later, she heard her parents and Jayce return home. James disguised the beer as cans of soda. They passed the living room.

"Evie, here you ar—what have I told you about pets in the house?" said her mother.

"You let the dogs run around"

"Well I don't have to worry about them setting the house on fire"

"They're smart. If you forgot to feed them, I think they could knock over a candle"

Her father chuckled. She had convinced her parents that caring for dragons was part of a class and the professor let her keep Ash when she left Hogwarts. Her mother continually worried about him burning the house down. They went into the dining room for dinner. The maids were setting up the table. James pulled her aside.

"You still want to go to this conference?"

"Yes, James"

"What if Dumbledore—I don't want him to guilt you into going back"

"You've known me for years. Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"I know you miss them. You've been saving the messages and texts lately"

"I'm fine"

During dinner, she told her parents that she and James were going to a party exclusively for wizards in the area. Her mother smiled, assuming it to be a date. Evani assured it was just as friends. After dinner, she got dressed in formal attire for the conference. While her father spoke with James, she snuck down to the basement. She went over to a bare wall and waved her hand. The wall slid open, revealing a dimly lit hidden room. A figure was laying on the ground, with ropes tying up their wrists and ankles. She pushed them towards her using her heel. Bass was looking up at her. Stitches sewed his mouth shut. He reacted angrily, attempting to move. She moved her hand over his mouth. The stitches vanished.

"How's it going, handsome?" she asked.

"Untie me at once"

"Yea, that's not happening. A little hostile, are we?"

"If you think you can keep this up, you little brat"

"Are you really in the position to threaten me? I will untie you…cause we're going somewhere"

Evani told him that they were attending the rights conference at the Ministry. She had written a special speech for him. Instead of spewing hate against vampires, he would support their rights and equality. He scoffed and refused to do it. She pouted.

"See, I think you will because if you don't, we'll have a problem"

"You're no better than him. It's no wonder Dumbledore sent you to a psych ward"

"I am different. He hurts anyone he wants. I hurt people when they deserve it"

Crinkling her nose, she conjured a bottle of pills. "If you don't cooperate, I force one of these down your throat. It makes the cruciatus curse feel like you're being tickled"

Bass looked a bit fearful, not knowing if she was bluffing. James entered the room. Evani fixed Bass up, changing him into a nice suit. She threatened that if he did not read her speech, she would expose his alliance with Voldemort and what he had done to her over the summer, backed up by tons of witnesses and evidence. They apparated to the American Ministry, landing in a side alley.

"Now smile for those cameras like a good boy and do what you're told"

She patted his cheek. He snarled and entered the Ministry. Amanda rushed over to him, holding a piece of paper. Evani changed her appearance to keep anyone from recognizing her. She went into the Ministry with James. Devon and Cassi were speaking to a middle-aged man. She pulled James over to them as the man walked away. Devon recognized her by her scent. He questioned the change in appearance. She said it was to keep Dumbledore from noticing her. Caleb walked over to them with his friend Keith, a fellow auror. He glanced at her, curiously.

"Evie?"

"How—this stupid scent thing. I'm going to start wearing really heavy perfume to block it"

Caleb and Devon glared at each other. There was a lot of tension between them. James whispered to her that vampires and werewolves had a history of intense rivalry. Cassi watched them, amused. Evani smacked both of them in the chest.

"Stop being babies"

Devon sneered at him. Caleb let out a low growl. She shot the two of them stern looks, telling them to behave. Caleb warned her that Bass was going to be at the event. He thought it would be dangerous, even in disguise, to be near him.

"I'm not scared of him"

"You need to trade some of that courage for common sense" said Keith.

Caleb punched his shoulder. "Well we know he's going to skewer any chance for equality. His speech will be just one big 'I hate anything that isn't a wizard so just kill them all'" he added.

"People can always change their mind. Things happen and we shift our whole perspective"

"Way to be subtle" whispered James.

She simply smiled. There were a series of speeches by all kinds of people, both wizards and non-wizards. Dumbledore had been one of the speakers. The entire he spoke, Evani resisted the urge to set the podium on fire. She still had pent-up anger towards him. Most wizards gave anti-equality speeches. Only a few like Dupont and Dumbledore supported their rights. Bass was the final speaker. Some elderly woman introduced him. Searching the crowd, Evani spotted a handful of death eaters with their children. Draco and his friends did not even pay attention. Serena was standing next to her mother, looking bored. Evani stopped herself from going over to her.

"Devon, something's wrong. Where are Alaric and the others? I thought they were providing security"

"Perhaps they found a death eater. It's not our concern, Cassi"

Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Burke were speaking to each other, both smirking. She noticed something strange about Mr. Burke. Her back burned for a couple of seconds, almost like a warning. Bass stood at the podium. Evani watched him, intently. He began to read the speech prepared by her. As he spoke, Mr. Burke's eyes narrowed. The crowd looked surprised by his change in position. Caleb wondered if it was some joke.

"Instead of a message of hate, we must group our efforts to"

Suddenly, loud screams sounded throughout the ballroom. Vampires were moving through the crowd, draining wizards completely. Her eyes widened. Devon growled. He said the vampires worked for Voldemort. With Cassi, he left to stop the attacks. Wizards were evacuating in a panic. James urged her to leave. Bass had vanished from the stage. She pushed through the crowd, searching for him. At the stairs, a vampire, a tall burly man in his mid 30s, blocked her path.

"You smell very good. I'd love a taste"

"Get out of my way"

He lunged at her. She dodged him and pushed her hand forward. A blinding white light, similar to the night of the dementor attack, emerged from her hands, striking the man. Dazed, he fell to his knees. His fangs retracted. He tried to make them come back but nothing happened.

"What did you do to me?"

Leaving the confused vampire, she hurried up the stairs. She found Bass walking along one of the corridors. Enraged, she appeared behind him and slammed him into the wall. He struggled to breathe.

"You knew he was planning this"

"Actually, no. He doesn't tell any of us his entire plans…in case one of us is caught"

"You broke our agreement"

A wand brushed the back of her neck. She could see one of Bass's aurors behind her.

"Drop him, little girl"

Swinging her leg back, she kicked him in the groin. She shoved Bass out the window. They fell down into a dark alley. Blood seeped from the side of his head. She forced him up, keeping a tight grip on him. Leaving the alley, she went over to a car parked near the sidewalk. She touched the lock, popping the door open. Her hand pressed into Bass's back. He let out an excruciating yell. She twisted his spine, breaking his back, and pushed him into the car. Getting into the driver's seat, she started the car with magic. She drove down the street. He breathed heavily.

"You—are foolish. Voldemort knew what you were doing. He used legilimency on my mind, trying to understand why I gave that speech"

"I'm far from foolish. He's the one who told you to kidnap me. How does he know about me?"

"You had been in Albania two summers ago. It was for your father's business. He was possessing a snake and spotted you in a town, using magic. He sensed your power"

"What does he know about me besides my magic?"

"If we're playing 20 questions, I get a few"

"The only thing you'll get is a free nose job from my fist"

They stopped in a large clearing. She levitated him out of the car. Taking his wand, she pointed it at the ground. A hole opened up, showing an underground prison. While masquerading as Bass, she got a lot of information. This was Blackgate prison, an equivalent to Azkaban. Bass's ancestors built it 400 years ago. There were no need for guards, except to bring meals, due to its magical properties. Once in the cells, the prisoners could not use magic due to a powerful enchantment. People feared being sent here because prisoners died from isolation and illness. It was nearly impossible to escape. Evani noticed that numerous people had been sent there on false charges.

"What—are we doing here?"

"It's your new home, Decs"

"Y—you c—can't. People will search for me"

"You think so? Cause I have been impersonating you for days and no one found it suspicious. That precious legilimency won't work past these barriers"

Flicking his wand, she made a staircase appear. She descended down into the prison. They went over to an empty cell. She used a charm to disguise him. The guards would just see him as some random prisoner. On his knees, he clung to the bars. He begged her to release him.

"Evani, please. I have a family"

"So do I. We have so much in common" she replied, feigning surprise.

"I'll give you anything. I'll spy on him, tell you any information you want…"

"What would he do if he heard you switching your loyalty so easily? Consider this payback, Declan. I was separated from my family for months and now it's your turn. I'll come visit you"

She returned to the clearing. Picking up Declan's wand, she shrunk it and placed it in her clutch purse. The prison had been designed so only the Minister could open it. It would take a while for Voldemort himself to break that special enchantment if he discovered Declan's location. From her purse, she took out Declan's phone. She dialed a number.

"Declan, I've been so worried. Did you get attacked at the conference?"

"I'm fine, Cecile. I'm afraid I can't come home. This afternoon, I received an anonymous note. It was a threat" she replied, disguising her voice as Declan's.

"A threat? By who?"

"I'm not sure but I can't risk your safety. The note is still in my desk at the office. Give it to the auror office to analyze who sent it. Tell Penelope that she can act as Minister in my place. I can't tell you where I'll be…it's best if you don't know"

"But Declan"

"It will only be for a while. I'll call you soon. I love you, sweetheart"

Evani hung up the phone, smirking. She apparated back to her home…

* * *

**A/N: So in a recent review, someone said they were unsure how the Draco/Evani pairing will fit with how the story is going. Since one of my favorite shows right now is Once Upon A Time, I think this quote from one of the creators fits my perspective of it: "I think that in all life, there are the people who are right for you and there are the people who are wrong for you, and _then there are the people you just choose". _To me, this quote relates to Evani really well, in terms of her relationships. "People who are right for you" would be someone like Harry or Lukas, who are the so-called good guys, and "people who are wrong for you" would be her ex-boyfriend Alec. In terms of "people you just choose", I think this relates to her situation with Draco. She always chooses to believe in the good in him despite everyone telling her that he's bad. Even when she is mad at him, she tells him that she still wants to choose to believe in him but it's hard because of his actions. In the books, I see Draco as a gray character with both good and bad in him (like Killian Jones on Once. My OTP on the show is Killian/Emma and I think their relationship is similar to Draco/Evani. They might not be together yet but there is so much potential for it and the girls in both pairings will help the guys see the good in themselves). Even though they aren't friends right now, there is a spark between them and it will build up to something as the story continues.  
**

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	52. Chapter 52: Massacre

-March- After locking Bass up in Blackgate prison, Evani kept some of his personal items, including his phone, wand, and Gringotts key. She would call his wife acting as him. His wife believed every word. To make it seem like he was not just kidnapped, she would contact Gringotts through the floo network, posing as Bass to remove some money from his vault. The goblins could just take the key and transfer the money through the flames. An upside to his disappearance was that James's mother had been appointed as temporary Minister. Caleb told her that it infuriated Voldemort, who he had seen in person many times, because Mrs. Nolan did not allow his men into the building without an important cause. It meant that death eaters could not just enter the Ministry and give missions to the aurors. Evani would visit the prison every few weeks. Bass looked more sickly with each visit. He continued to beg her to let him out of the deplorable environment. Watching him suffer secretly made her happy. She did not intend to release him. Bass was perfect leverage to use against Voldemort. He knew all sorts of secrets about the dark wizard.

Evani was at one of her father's club for Isabel's birthday. With her parents and Jayce gone for one of Jayce's baseball tournaments, she decided to throw a massive party. She went to the bar to get another drink. As she opened a beer bottle, she felt a sharp pain in her head. She held onto the counter for support. A hand rested on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Ryder.

"I think I'm drinking a little too much"

"You're lying. It's been getting worse"

She looked away from him. When she first arrived home, all of the disturbing nightmares and thoughts had stopped. She was relieved to be rid of those violent images. James found it strange that they just vanished once she left Hogwarts. He questioned if Dumbledore caused them in the first place. Though she argued that she had them before, he called them random flashes of anger, different from what she experienced in the wizarding world. He said that if Dumbledore was willing to let her be kidnapped by Bass, he could be at fault for this too. Evani began to think the same until the nightmares started up again. The first one came a week after she imprisoned Bass. These nightmares were far different. When she woke up, she would find bruises and cuts, similar to the injuries sustained from the attacks in the dreams. Sometimes, she blacked out and ended up in a completely random place. It was similar to the morning after she dreamt about that cave in the Forbidden Forest. At first, she kept it to herself. Her friends knew her too well, easily able to tell that she was hiding something. The nightmares had gotten to the point that she did not even need to sleep for them to occur. They would happen at any time of day. Her most recent one occurred when she was out shopping with her mother.

"You should go home"

"And what? If I sleep, they happen. If I'm awake, they happen"

"Tell me how to help"

"You can't. Just forget it"

Ryder looked concerned. She grabbed his hand, pulling him out onto the dance floor. During the party, she kept drinking, hoping to block out any pain. The alcohol started to get to her. She grabbed another beer bottle. Isabel and Melody, who were hanging out with some seniors, called out to her. She stumbled towards them. Suddenly, everything went black.

Her eyes fluttered open. She found herself outside, laying in the grass. Her vision was blurry. She could barely keep her left eye open. Rain fell down on her face. It was pouring heavily. Weakly, she sat up. Her side was in excruciating pain. It felt like her ribs caught on fire. She glanced down. Her legs and arms were covered in deep gashes and cuts. Her dress had small rips in it, showing more cuts underneath. Dirt and blood covered most of her skin. She pushed herself up. As she walked, she felt pain in both her ribs and right leg. The club was completely trashed with smashed windows and broken doors. She staggered towards the building. As she entered through the open doorway, her eyes widened. It was like a scene out of a horror movie. She could not take one step without bumping into a body. No one was moving. She spotted Ryder near the staircase. His throat had been slashed. He was barely breathing. She waved her hand over his throat. Nothing happened. She tried the spell again but it had no effect. Confused, she looked at her hands. Her magic was not working. Within another minute, his breathing stopped. He slumped against the staircase. She left the club. Struggling to walk, she tried to find somewhere to go. It was very late at night and most stores were closed. She saw a nearby bar. As she reached for the door, her ribs seared with pain. She bit her lip, leaning against the wall.

A force pushed her down to the ground. When she tried to stand up, it kept her pinned. Someone called out to her frantically. Caleb appeared in front of her. Her breathing was ragged.

"What happened? Why are you—who did this?" he asked, panicked.

"They're gone"

"Who?"

"Everybody. I couldn't help. They just—his throat—the party"

She was mumbling incoherently. Caleb told one of his friends to call the hospital.

"Evie, let me help you up"

"I can't get up. It's holding me down"

"What? Nothing is"

"Make it let me go!"

Caleb grabbed her hand, pulling her up. She fell against his chest. Tears streamed down her face. He held onto her, protectively.

"You're going to be okay. Just relax"

A second later, they landed inside of a hospital. It looked similar to St. Mungo's. A nearby sign on the wall read 'St. Baxter's'. She felt something slide underneath her and lift her into the air. It was a stretcher. Binds kept her arms pinned. People in healer uniforms surrounded her. The stretcher moved down the corridor. She struggled to get out of the binds, screaming that her friends needed help. The healers spoke over her. One of them tipped a potion down her throat. She felt herself getting drowsy.

Evani woke up in a hospital bed. James was sitting in a chair. Seeing her awake, he walked over to her. He hugged her.

"You're awake"

"What's going on?"

"It's been a few hours. The healers had to fix you up. They couldn't heal your ribs, your leg, and a few cuts because they said it was magic they've never seen before. They said it'll take a few weeks before you're fully healed. Caleb's talking to Jayce and your parents. He sent some aurors to the club"

"Is everyone else okay?"

James was quiet. He held her hand.

"They couldn't do anything. It was too late. Magic can't bring back the—I'm sorry"

"I want to go"

"No. You have to stay here overnight"

"It's my fault"

"Evie, don't"

"My magic wasn't working. I don't know what happened"

Before he could say anything, the door opened. Caleb entered the room, followed by her family. Her mother rushed over to her and got her in a bone-crushing hug. She was crying hysterically. Her father pulled her back, telling her to not do more damage. Evani could tell that he had been crying earlier. Her mother resorted to crying on Jayce's shoulder. He rubbed her back, comfortingly. Her father asked what happened. Caleb said that they had very little details. Based on the style of the killings, they assumed it was an escaped criminal from Azkaban. Apparently, in January, a mass breakout occurred. Ten prisoners escaped, all known death eaters. One of the men had family in a nearby city and could have been hiding out with them. Evani was the only survivor. She teared up, thinking about her friends.

"Evie, I need to ask you. What do you remember?"

"We were having a party and then I blacked out. I woke up outside"

"Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No"

The door opened again. A woman was standing outside. She told Caleb that someone had arrived. Caleb nodded. As she moved, Dumbledore entered the room. Evani's fists clenched. James winced, feeling her nails dig into his hand.

"I'm glad to see that you are recovering, Evani"

Her eyes narrowed. "Get out"

"Evie, I called him here. The man that we think is involved has ties to Bass. I think you need to go back to Hogwarts" said Caleb.

"Well you can shove your opinions up your ass, you mutt"

Caleb looked hurt by her comment. She showed no remorse. As far as she was concerned, he betrayed her. He knew that she did not want to see Dumbledore again.

"I know you are very angry and upset, Evani"

"If you take one step near me, I'll kill you myself"

Her father looked shocked. Evani was imagining the elderly wizard bursting into flames. The lights in the room flickered.

"Evie, don't talk like that"

"We left off on bad terms. Evani, you need to return to Hogwarts. I can help"

"I don't want your help!" One of the lights shattered.

"Your magic is taking control of you. That is what is causing these visions in your head. I implore you to return to the school. You are putting yourself in danger by staying in the muggle world. This is what he wants. You're leaving yourself vulnerable to be taken advantage of by him"

"Evie, you're going back to that school"

She glared at her father. "No. He's lying! That's all he does! He's using me! Tell them what you wrote about me in my file!"

"May I have a moment alone with my daughter?"

Everyone else left the room. Her father sat down on the bed. She avoided eye contact. He told her that she needed to return to Hogwarts. She refused, claiming that he had no idea what had been happening lately. He sighed.

"You're right. I don't know. I've never been able to help you with this. When you were little, I used to watch you struggle to not set a room on fire when you sneezed. It kills me that I can't handle it on my own. You're my little girl and I don't want to see you hurt. Dumbledore told your mother and me the truth behind the attack on you over the summer, about the man who Bass helps. He sees how special you are, just like we do, but he's worried. He said your magic keeps growing, faster than it should, and it would be too much for you to handle by yourself. Please just let them help. It doesn't matter what people say about you. You decide who you are"

Her father kissed her forehead, telling her to get some sleep. He left the room. She grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table. Suddenly, the glass shattered. She repaired it and placed it back on the table. Frustrated, she laid her head back down on the pillow…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	53. Chapter 53: Forest Adventure

-The next day- Evani was laying in the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. She did not sleep the entire night. All she could think about was returning to Hogwarts. Just the mere thought of it gave her mixed emotions, including anger, joy, and dread. She felt angry towards Dumbledore. In her mind, he manipulated her parents. He knew how the thought of Evani being hurt in any way would scare them and used it to get his way. The only reason she agreed to return was because she did not like upsetting her parents. Her father had been near tears when expressing frustration in not being able to understand her magic or protect her. This situation was out of his control. He never liked being told that he could do nothing to help.

Before they had their private conversation, she seriously contemplated sneaking out of the hospital and running away. She would have gotten herself a whole new identity and lived in some random location. The fact that she was willing to leave behind her family showed her lingering distrust of Dumbledore and the Order. Seeing her friends at Hogwarts caused the feelings of joy and dread. While she wanted to see them again, she worried about their reactions. Evani had not been in contact with them for months. She purposely ignored any news in the wizarding world to move past Hogwarts. With Umbridge there, she was sure that things were miserable. Besides Hogwarts, she thought about the incident from last night. She tried to remember anything that could explain who attacked the club. It was all one big blur. Her memory just went from drinking at the bar to ending up outside. Caleb said that the suspect had been a death eater. A small part of her wondered if Voldemort himself organized the attack. How else could someone explain her being the only survivor?

She got distracted by the door opening. A middle-aged woman in a healer's uniform entered the room. She greeted her warmly and began checking Evani's injuries. Waving her wand, she conjured a small bag. There were three different potions inside. The healer explained that they would help her heal faster. Evani had to take the potions every four to six hours. There were enough vials to last a few weeks. She took out a jar of orange paste. Evani watched her rub it onto her injured leg. The pain seemed to disappear.

"I'm going to give you this as well. It'll make it easier to walk. The pain's still there but you won't feel it. I'm afraid it won't work on your ribs though, dear"

Flicking her wand again, she made Evani's tote and suitcase appear. Last night, her parents packed up her belongings. The healer offered to have someone help her get settled at the school. Evani said she would be fine on her own. Once the healer left, Evani got out of bed. Her ribs were no better than last night. She reached into her bag, pulling out her compact mirror. There were cuts on the side of her forehead, cheek, and chin. She grabbed her bag and suitcase and apparated. A second later, she found herself outside the castle. She levitated her suitcase. Picking up her bag, she entered the castle, her suitcase following from behind. She had to stop every few seconds from the pain. The paste on her leg helped but she could still feel some pain, making it even harder to walk. There were loud conversations and laughter coming from the Great Hall. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase. Farther down the corridor, she saw Lukas reprimanding two 1st year boys. They had planned a prank on Umbridge.

"Get to dinner before I change my mind about telling your head of house"

The boys hurried to the Great Hall. Seeing Evani, his eyes widened. He went over to her. When he hugged her, she let out a soft gasp. She bit her lip lightly. He pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I thought the hospital would've healed you"

"They couldn't fix everything"

"I heard about what happened. It was all over the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. Let me help"

"I don't need help"

"Evie, you're all banged up"

She got onto the first step. Pain shot through her body. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the railing. Lukas put her bag on his shoulder and lifted her up bridal style. Despite her protests, he refused to put her down. He did not want her to hurt herself more. Lukas brought her up to the common room. Instead of her usual room, he opened the door to the spare room. He put her down carefully on the bed. Dumbledore wanted her in her own room until she made a full recovery. This morning, he told the students that she would be returning. He requested that no one bother her or pester her with questions about what happened. Lukas waved his wand, causing her suitcase to unpack. When he reached for her bag, she told him to leave it, knowing Shadow and Ash were inside. He conjured a variety of foods on a tray. She pushed herself up weakly. They ate dinner together in the small room.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I don't want to talk about what happened"

"Why did you leave? The teachers just said that your parents were done with their business so they were moving back and wanted you with them. I know that's a lie"

"I don't want to talk about that either"

"Well either way, I'm glad you're here. I missed you a lot, Evie…everyone did. I had to physically keep Ginny and Serena from leaving the castle when we heard about what happened to you"

Lukas looked like he wanted to ask her more questions. Once they finished eating, he made the tray vanish. He promised to help her until she fully healed. The other Gryffindors were told not to barge into the room on her first night back. Lukas kissed her cheek and left the room. She was still in her torn, bloodied dress from last night. Crinkling her nose, she changed into a pair of plaid shorts and a ribbed tank top. Shadow jumped out of her bag and onto the bed. He nudged her cheek. She pet his head. As he rested beside her, she closed her eyes, attempting to sleep. Her dream was filled with flashes of last night. She saw her friends slaughtered on the floor. Just as she found Ryder's body, something forced her out of her sleep.

Her eyes fluttered open. A wand was pointed at her forehead. As it moved back, she saw Seth, Blaise, and Draco by the bed. The clock on the bedside table said it was midnight. She did not even bother to question how they got in here, let alone the common room. Shadow growled at the three Slytherins.

"Here I was dreaming about Johnny Depp and when I wake up, I see you. It's like driving a porsche and then having to ride in the back of an old pickup truck" she said, still drowsy.

"Get up, Rybek" said Seth, harshly.

"This must be how you get all your action, Burke. How else would a girl let you even touch her?"

"I said get up. We're going out"

"As much as I'm into kinky ideas, my fantasy of a wild foursome does sadly not involve you three. Try as you might, Burke...you're no Damon Salvatore"

His eyes narrowed. He dug his wand into her throat. She could tell that he was serious.

"What should I wear to this date? Something easy for you to slip off?"

"Just put on a coat"

Seth left the room. Blaise gave her a sympathetic look and followed him. Going through the closet, Draco grabbed a black peacoat. He tried to help her. She glared harshly at him, making him divert his gaze to the floor. Pushing herself up, she got off of the bed.

"Evie"

"Don't. I'm not even back for an entire day and I have to deal with you three idiots"

"I didn't want to do this. You need to trust me"

She scoffed, putting on the coat. "You want me to trust you but you're dragging me out in the middle of the night when I've just lost the people I care about and have broken ribs and a broken leg"

"Just do whatever they say. Don't give them a reason to be mad"

His arm slipped around her waist. Forced to lean on him, she went down the staircase. Seth led them towards the forest. Draco explained that his father and a few other death eaters were waiting. One of the vampires working for their side informed them of a secret passage through the forest. Thankfully, they could not use it to enter the castle due to the security charms. Evani asked why they were here. Draco told her that they wanted to see the cave, which involved using her. Serena had been forced to talk about their adventure to the cave. She told them that Evani figured out how to get there. As they entered the forest, she saw his father with Snape and another man. The man was burly with a long face. He looked her up and down, lustfully. She hid her disgust. Reading his mind, she learned that his name was Antonin Dolohov, one of the escaped convicts from Azkaban. Snape gave her a look that said 'Cooperate and do whatever they want'. She knew that he had to play along with being a death eater.

"How nice to see you again, Evani" said Malfoy.

"I wish the feeling was mutual"

"Did the boys tell you why you're here?"

"We didn't talk much. They didn't even ask me about my injuries"

Seth rolled his eyes. Malfoy sighed.

"They lack manners. How are you feeling?"

"I'm sure you'd love to cop a feel for yourself. It'd be a nice mental image for you the next time you're in bed with your trophy wife and need something to help you get it up for her" she replied, flirtatiously.

Snape shot her a stern look. Malfoy chuckled softly.

"Amazing how you maintain that wit even when you were near death just a short while ago"

She gave him a sarcastic smile. Malfoy grabbed hold of her. He brought her over to the wall. The runes had not vanished. She could see them clearly.

"Now tell me, how did you get past this?"

"I translated the runes"

"What runes?"

"On the wall"

The others looked puzzled. Mr. Malfoy forced her to translate the runes. She whispered quietly to herself. Like before, the wall slid apart. She led them down an alternate path. When she would want time to herself, she used to hang out by the cave. She had discovered another route that was quicker. Malfoy kept a tight grip on her. His hand briefly brushed her side as they moved through a narrow space between two trees. She winced, trying to ignore the pain in her ribs.

"Did I hurt you?" he whispered.

"It's okay. I do like it rough" she replied.

His lips twisted into a small smirk. "You better be leading us the right way, girl…or you'll deal with me" said Dolohov.

"Your ferocity gives me chills. That really should keep me from tricking you…a threat from a recent prison bitch who probably got more action in his cell nightly than the chicken mcnugget next to me could get in years"

Seth snarled. Draco had to keep him from hitting her. She continued walking. After a few minutes, they reached the cave. She leaned against a nearby tree. Snape went over to her. He handed her a potion. She glared.

"I don't need anything from you"

"You're acting like a child"

"It must suck to be lied to for months…oh wait, that was me"

"Did you ever think Dumbledore kept information from you for your protection? That he saw you were already stressed from Declan attacking you…and didn't need more strain in your life?"

She got distracted by Seth nearing the cave. Something knocked him back, making him fall to the ground. Seth kept trying to move past it. It was like a moth attracted to a bug zapper. She stifled a laugh. Malfoy forced her against the tree, holding her throat.

"How did you get in there?"

"I don't know. I would say you have to be a pure little flower but then, I would've been kept out too"

He pressed his hand into her ribs. She cried out in pain. He kept his hand there. Her breathing got shaky. Taking out his wand, he pointed it under her chin. He leaned close to her.

"You are going to tell me how you got around this shield"

"Why don't you torture me a little? I'm sure that would be exciting for you"

Snape grabbed hold of his arm. He pleaded with him to let her go. Evani was just supposed to get them to the cave. Since she did her part, she should be allowed to return to the castle.

"I'd like to continue this chat. Go aid them, Severus"

He looked reluctant. Giving a curt nod, he went over to Dolohov, who was attempting to break the shield with multiple spells. Malfoy turned his attention back to her.

"I see what you're doing. You want them distracted so you can get some action. Sorry to disappoint but you're not my type. I'm not into the whole Lolita thing" she whispered.

"Where is Declan?"

"Who? Oh, you mean, Mr. Bass? I heard he got threatened and ran off…so sad"

His wand tilted her chin up. There was a malicious gleam in his eyes.

"Do not play dumb"

"You think I did something to him? What possible motive could I have?" she asked, innocently.

"I see through that act. Don't start this game with me. No one wins against me"

"Maybe you just never had a worthy opponent"

"Unless you'd like this game to become a war, you'll tell me where he is. We know you snatched him the first time. You are quite the schemer, posing as one of his maids and drugging his scotch to knock him out. It was impressive"

"I wouldn't call it a war, Mr. Malfoy. One of us is clearly winning at the moment. Maybe if you wave a little white flag, Declan will pop up again"

She smirked. His eyes narrowed. Calling Draco over, he let go of her throat. Malfoy told Draco to bring her back to the castle. He threatened her to tell no one about this little adventure or it would mean trouble. Holding onto her, Draco walked her through the forest. They went up to the Gryffindor common room. He got the Fat Lady's portrait to wake up.

"Chivalrous"

The portrait swung open. Evani let out a quiet scoff.

"Well that's ironic for you, isn't it?"

He brought her into her room. She took off the coat, tossing it aside. Her leg started to hurt again. She rubbed the paste on it. Draco was watching her, arms crossed over his chest.

"I know what you're doing"

"I'm trying to get the pain in my leg to stop. Wizards can bring back vanishing bones but they can't fix a broken leg in two seconds. That's how lucky I am"

"I meant your sarcastic little comments. You're doing it to deflect from the pain and to make it seem like nothing's wrong with you. Are you that bloody stubborn that you can't show that you're hurt?"

"I'm fine"

"You're not fine. You can barely take one step without looking like you're in the worst pain imaginable. I know you lied to my dad too. You know why they couldn't get into the cave. You did your little mischievous thing"

She looked at him, strangely. "Your nose crinkles like a little bunny"

"It does not"

"Does too. I've always noticed it" he said, a small smile on his face.

He opened his mouth to say something. Before he could get out one word, she told him to leave. She still did not forgive him, especially for tonight. He let his father use her for some foolish plans. Draco looked a bit upset. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a box and put it on her bed. He left the room. She opened the box. There was a note inside. It read '_I'm sorry about what happened to your friends. I thought this would cheer you up'_. Taking out the note, she looked into the box. There was a ring with an emerald gem. On the side, she noticed an engraving in French. It reminded her of their dinner at the French restaurant. She put the box into her suitcase. Her fingers brushed against her nose while thinking of something playful. She tried to feel if her nose crinkled.

"I don't do that" she whispered, shaking her head.

Evani laid down on her bed and fell asleep, clutching her pillow…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	54. Chapter 54: Evie vs Seth

-The next day- For the first time in weeks, Evani was having a peaceful sleep. It got interrupted by someone shaking her. She kept the covers over her head. They were pulled back, exposing her to the sunlight. She saw Ginny beside the bed, already dressed in the uniform.

"Evie, get dressed. We have to get down to breakfast"

"I'm not going. Everyone will just stare at me"

"What does it matter? Let them stare. They'll find something else to gossip about within a few days"

Frustrated, she got out of the bed. Ginny went to help her. Evani shook her head. She did not need any help. It was only 7 in the morning. Ginny reasoned that Evani needed time to get to the Great Hall and it would be less crowded at this time. Once she got dressed, she took the three potions from the healer and rubbed the paste on her leg. Ginny insisted on carrying her bag. They went down to the Great Hall. Evani had to continually stop to subside the pain in her ribs. She leaned against the railing. Ginny was watching her.

"Stop looking at me like that"

"Like what?"

"Like a dog that's about to be put down"

"You don't have to go to class. McGonagall told us that"

"I want to go to class. I'm not going to die, Ginny"

They finally reached the Great Hall. It was mostly empty except for a few kids. They sat at the Gryffindor table where Serena already waited. She hugged Evani, careful not to hurt her. The two girls caught her up on things that she missed. Two weeks ago, Umbridge fired Trelawney. She attempted to ban her from the castle but Dumbledore stepped in, claiming only the headmaster could send people away. To replace her, he brought in Firenze, a centaur from the forest, as the new Divinations teacher. Trelawney would not leave her room, simply crying her eyes out. Evani knew that Trelawney was just the first casualty. Umbridge would try to get rid of even more teachers, especially those closest to Dumbledore. Harry had also begun dating Cho. They had a little fight on Valentine's Day but when she read an interview he gave to the _Quibbler_ about his encounter with Voldemort, she forgave him. Within the next hour, more kids came down for breakfast. It took nearly ten minutes to convince Harry that he did not need to help her eat. Evani could feel everyone's eyes on her. She squeezed the glass of orange juice in her hand, nearly cracking it. Harry took it from her.

"Ignore them. I've had to deal with this all year, Evie. Don't let it get to you"

Owls flew throughout the Great Hall, dropping off packages. One owl gave a _Daily Prophet _to Hermione. Harry asked if there was any interesting news. Hermione looked a bit anxious. She shook her head. Evani saw through her act.

"What is it?"

Hermione sighed. "There's an article about…what happened to you. It's only because their main suspect is one of the ten to escape from Azkaban. They don't mention you much. They just say that you were the only survivor. Have you asked why he would have attacked your father's club?"

"The guy was probably a psycho. He just picked a random place. They don't even have real evidence that it was him. I don't care who did it"

"How can you not care? Your friends" started Ron.

"Are dead. I can't bring them back to life. Life sucks so we just have to move on"

Her friends were quiet. Evani learned a long time ago to not dwell on traumatic events in her life. If this criminal was sent to the club on purpose by Voldemort, it was to make her vulnerable and weak. She would not give him that satisfaction. He needed to do a lot worse to get her to crack. As the bell rang, everyone left for class. Harry made her wait until the Hall was empty. He grabbed her bag and had her lean on him. They walked up the staircase.

"I'm glad you're back. I know it's because of bad circumstances but I missed you"

"I missed you too"

"Are you—still mad at Dumbledore?"

"Yes. You'll never understand why. I'm only here because my family wanted it"

Harry simply nodded. She could tell that he wanted to ask her more questions. They entered the Charms classroom. The desks were gone, replaced by a large rectangular platform. Loud laughter rang through the corridor. The Slytherins entered the classroom. She noticed their eyes went to Harry before sniggering again. He rolled his eyes, holding onto Evani. Seth had his arm around Tracey's waist. Flitwick waited until the last few students entered the room. He explained that the lesson would be about proper dueling. With recent events, he thought it was important they know how to defend themselves. She remembered Hermione telling her that Flitwick used to be a dueling champion himself. They were going to be matched up randomly and the duels would go on until there was one winner, who would get a prize of a box of ice mice. He gave them a few minutes to brush up on some spells. Most kids looked excited with this lesson. It was different than just being lectured and practicing a simple spell. Flitwick actually wanted them to apply their lessons through dueling. He walked over to her.

"Miss Rybek, I am happy to see you return…though the circumstances are grim"

Flitwick patted her hand, comfortingly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay"

"You will not need to participate in the lesson today. It is more physical than usual"

"I want to do it. I'll be fine, sir"

He looked reluctant to let her do any dueling. She stared back at him, determined. Dueling would help get out some of her anger. She doubted that she would move much anyway. Half of these kids could barely levitate a pencil while the other half were likely to hold their wand backwards.

"Are you sure about this, Evie?"

"Harry, I think I can handle these idiots"

"You shouldn't strain yourself with your injuries"

She ignored his concern. Flitwick went over the rules. Two students would meet in the middle of the platform, bow to one another, and then go to opposite ends of the platform. Once he counted to three, they were free to use any spells. He prohibited the use of any dangerous hexes. All of their spells would be simply defensive. He conjured a piece of paper. Dean and Terry were the first pair. The DA meetings definitely made some more confident in their skills. Evani watched each duel, analyzing both sides. She noticed that the Slytherins used a dirty style when it came to dueling. Hermione had just beaten Padma, casting the leg locker curse.

"Excellent spellwork, Miss Granger. Our next pairing is Miss Parkinson and Miss Rybek"

"You can easily take her" said Harry.

Evani got onto the platform with Pansy. She could hear the kids whispering about the outcome. Some were worried that her injuries would hinder her. Pansy smirked.

"You're going to lose, Rybek" she hissed.

Evani scoffed. "Parkinson, do you not remember our last little duel? If you somehow beat me, I would go back in time and let myself be killed because I could never live with the shame of being beaten by a pug"

"Wands at the ready, girls" said Flitwick.

Evani held her wand up, lazily. She did not expect this to take much effort. Pansy's lapdogs had anticipated expressions on their faces, probably expecting Evani to lose. Flitwick counted to three. Before Pansy could even open her mouth, Evani cast a disarming charm. She used not even a bit of her real power. Pansy flew off of the platform. She sat up, holding her head. Evani suppressed a smirk, going back down to the Gryffindors. Ron high-fived her.

"That was awesome, Evie. Did you see her face?"

Pansy glared harshly at her while Blaise and Seamus started the next duel. She went back over to the Slytherins. Evani pretended to wipe away a tear. Pansy grabbed Draco and kissed him forcefully. Harry and Ron looked disgusted. Evani covered her eyes. She waited until the gross display was over.

"And that just went on my top ten list of things that will scar me forever"

Hermione looked at her. "She wants to make you jealous"

"Sadly, I do not have a ferret fetish. She could do him right in front of me and it would just make me laugh"

The duels continued. Most of the kids could barely defend themselves. It was honestly embarrassing. At 5th year, they should be good duelists. They knew the spells but had poor technique. Some kids even hit themselves by accident. To her surprise, Draco was a great duelist. He used sneaky tactics to win. When he was dueling against Lavender, he started saying one spell then went into another. It threw off her defense. She liked watching Harry. Despite not having the best grades at Hogwarts, he was like an expert.

"Miss Rybek and Mister Potter. This should be quite a match"

She and Harry got onto the platform.

"Just so you know, Evie, I am one of the best duelists in our year. I won't hurt you but I'll win" he whispered in her ear.

"You're delusional. Promise not to completely humiliate you"

He playfully glared. They prepared themselves for the duel. She knew Harry had a more intelligent strategy like Hermione. He tended to use spells that disarmed or disabled the opponent quickly. As soon as Flitwick counted to three, Evani shot a spell behind her back. Tape went over his mouth. Before he could get rid of it, she waved her wand. He was lifted upside down. Harry reversed the hex, falling on his back. He got up from the platform, ripping off the tape.

"Excellent idea, Miss Rybek. You used a mind of a true duelist. Can any of you tell me why Miss Rybek's spellwork in this duel was smart?"

Hermione raised her hand. "She figured out Harry's strategy which is to be quick and disable the opponent in seconds. So she used it against him by making sure he couldn't utter spells"

"Exactly right. That is what you all must do. An expert duelist can watch their opponent and learn their strategy in seconds. They'll be able to formulate a counterattack with ease. It takes a truly intelligent mind to use one's strategy against them"

Pansy and her clique rolled their eyes at Flitwick's praise. Suppressing a smirk, Evani got off of the platform. Her leg began to hurt again. She grabbed the paste from her bag. While Ron and Blaise dueled, she sat down on the floor. Harry walked over to her. He put the paste on her leg.

"Thanks. Sorry I beat you"

"I knew you'd win. You're just too good. You could be almost unconscious and still beat someone up"

She pecked his cheek. "Cho's lucky to have someone like you"

He blushed. She noticed Draco glaring daggers at Harry. Seth and Hermione were paired up. They fought for at least 5 minutes. Flitwick wanted to call it a tie. While Hermione was distracted, Seth used a spell. It hit Hermione's chest, making her fly back. The Slytherins sniggered. Evani glared harshly at Seth. His lips twisted into his usual arrogant smirk.

"That was a dirty trick" said Neville, worried.

"What do you expect? It's Burke" said Ron, angrily.

Evani crossed her arms. "I hope we're the final two. I'll teach him a lesson"

Hermione was holding her stomach. She assured Ron that she would be fine. After a few more duels, with more sneaky Slytherin tactics, it was down to Evani and Seth. In the last duel, he hit Draco with a stinging hex. She was surprised that Seth hurt him like that, considering their friendship. He used a healing charm to get the hex off of his arm. Evani and Seth were in each other's faces. Everyone could probably feel the tension.

"Scared, Rybek?" he whispered.

"Of you, little chicken? You wish"

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not as pathetic as the rest of these losers. Just because your friends are rotting in the ground"

Her fists clenched. She wanted to strangle him.

"Doesn't mean you get my sympathy. Those muggles got what they deserved"

"Take that back. My ribs might be broken but I can still beat you into a coma"

He smirked. "My dad knows you're behind Bass's disappearance. Someone is a naughty girl"

"Your dad is a pathetic slug"

For a second, his eyes flashed deep red. Evani was taken aback. She realized where she had seen it before. He snarled.

"Don't insult my father. He's the greatest wizard in history"

"Yea, I'm sure. No holding back"

"Wasn't planning on it. Someone needs to teach you a lesson about superiority. I'm going to beat you so bad that you'll beg to join your friends"

"We'll see about that, won't we? I was doing child's play before. Let's see if you really can handle me"

"You don't intimidate me, Rybek"

"Oh, I should, Burke"

This duel became very personal. She would not let Seth insult her friends. To her, that was like him making a death wish. She did not care about his father. Seth was going to learn the price of messing with her. They stood at the ends of the platform, holding their wands. There were opposing shouts from the other students. Most supported Evani while the rest, just Slytherins, supported Seth.

"Come on, Evie!" yelled Lavender.

"You can beat her, baby!" said Tracey.

Evani scrunched her nose at Tracey's words. She realized that they must be dating. Flitwick smiled.

"This shall be most exciting. On 3. Ready? 1, 2"

Seth shot a spell from his wand. Evani already expected it. She put up a shield charm, deflecting the jet of red light to the wall. Anthony claimed that Seth should automatically lose for starting early.

"Like I didn't expect that from cheating scum like you" said Evani, clenching her fists.

"Now, now, no reason to start a fight. I'm sure Mister Burke was just a little overexcited" suggested Flitwick.

"Yea, that's it, s" started Seth.

Evani cast a spell. It hit his nose, which sprouted boils. A few kids laughed. He reversed the hex, glaring at her.

"Sorry. Guess I was a little too excited" she replied, mockingly.

He gripped his wand tightly. Instead of listening to Flitwick, he shot another spell. Evani easily blocked it. A patch of ice formed under him. He slipped, falling onto his back. Angrily, he stood up.

"Serpensortia!"

A viper emerged from his wand, hissing menacingly. It slithered towards her. Seth smirked. She did a circular motion with her wand. The snake disintegrated.

"Mister Burke, I said defensive spells only"

Evani did not even care about anyone seeing her advanced abilities. She decided to disguise it with a spell. Holding her wand, she transferred energy to it. It glowed bright blue for a few seconds.

"I think we can end this and say you both win. This is not"

Ignoring Flitwick, she cast a spell. Seth quickly put up a shield charm. The spell easily broke his shield. Seth flew back, slamming into the wall hard. As he slid down, there was a large spot of blood on the wall. He got up, weakly. She sensed that his anger towards her was fueling him. His wand glowed bright green.

"Cru"

He was going to use the cruciatus curse. On a reflex, she moved her wand in a downward movement. Blue light struck him. He fell to the floor again, holding his chest. There was a tear across his shirt, revealing a deep gash on his chest. He winced in pain. It made Evani's day. Seeing him in pain got her excited. Flitwick looked at her. Annoyed, she reversed the hex. Seth stayed on the floor, panting.

"Well I'd say Miss Rybek is the winner"

Kids stared at her, amazed. She left the platform. Tracey immediately ran over to Seth to help him. Draco was watching her. She ignored him, going back to the Gryffindors. Ron called her brilliant. Only Hermione looked displeased.

"Ron, it's not funny. You really hurt him, Evie"

"He deserved it. Besides, he was about to cast an unforgivable curse. I taught the little snot a lesson"

"Evie, I'm not yelling at you. I just don't want you in trouble. What if he goes to Umbridge or"

"I'll say it was self defense"

The bell rang. Flitwick was healing Seth's wound. Evani watched Tracey hold Seth's hand. She grabbed the box of ice mice on Flitwick's desk. As they headed to the dungeons for Potions, she split the box between the four of them. She asked about Seth and Tracey as a couple. Harry told her that it happened over winter break. Daphne, being a gossip, spread the news to the entire castle within a few hours. In class, they would make out instead of paying attention to the lessons.

"I don't know who I feel sorry for more. Burke for being with a whiny little brat or Davis because he is"

Suddenly, she was tugged back. Her feet dangled a few feet above the floor. Seth had his arm around her throat, his wand digging into her side. It pressed into her ribs. She felt severe pain. Harry and Ron took out their wands. Seth chuckled.

"Put it down or I'll hurt her. Don't think I won't, Potter"

"Seth, get off her" she heard Draco say.

"Stay out of it. This is between me and this little bitch"

"Maybe I should tell everyone the truth about little miss perfect" he breathed in her ear.

"Seth, come on. It's not worth it"

"Draco, shut the hell up! Don't think I won't kick your ass too"

Harry looked ready to hex him. Evani shook her head very slightly. She could handle Seth on her own. He was someone who was all talk.

"You know mutually assured destruction, right? You tell them about me, I tell them about your real father. I am amazed that such a snake could have children. Did he drug your mother or was she just so desperate for any kind of male attention?"

Evani remembered when Harry told her about Voldemort over the summer. He always mentioned his red eyes. It was similar to what she saw with Seth. She had her suspicions ever since Serena claimed that her father wanted to get into the cave in the forest. It now made sense why their father looked so different to others. Evani had seen his real appearance after the _Wizard Battle _tournament. He showed himself on purpose. To others, he was under disguise. Seth's grip tightened on her throat, practically choking her.

"Don't say his name with your filthy mudblood lips. Soon, I am going to leave your corpse for him to see"

Evani giggled. "Guess he doesn't tell you everything, sweetie. He doesn't want me dead. Maybe you're such a disappointment to him that he'd rather have me around"

She heard Seth growl. The tip of his wand glowed red.

"I'm going to make you regret what you said" he hissed.

"You should be the one scared of me. Your daddy thinks he knows me so well but he doesn't know even half of my secrets"

"Mister Burke!"

McGonagall hurried down the corridor. She looked livid. Neville was behind her.

"Put down Miss Rybek this instant"

Seth let her go. She rubbed her neck.

"What were you doing? Hurting a student is grounds for"

"He wasn't hurting me, professor"

Kids looked at her, surprised. All of them had clearly seen Seth harming her. McGonagall turned to her with a puzzled expression. Evani lied that she had been teaching Seth a muggle game. She claimed it could get a bit violent and that Neville misunderstood.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes. Why would I lie?"

"No more of these games. Is that clear? Off to class, all of you"

She headed back up the staircase. Evani looked at Seth. His fists clenched.

"This isn't over, Rybek"

"Oh, far from it"

He pushed past her, purposely hitting her ribs. She clutched her side.

"Evie, why did you lie?" asked Hermione.

"Lie about what?"

"You know Seth was threatening you. Why not let the professors handle it?"

"I don't need them to fight my battles. Besides, it's not a big deal. If Seth wants a fight, he's got one. When I'm done with him, he'll be a sniveling little girl"

She opened the door to the dungeons, going down to the Potions classroom…


	55. Chapter 55: The Kiss

-Two weeks later-Ever since that incident in Charms, the tension between Seth and Evani turned into an all-out war. It led to constant verbal assaults, almost to the point of physical confrontation. Their friends were the only things keeping them back. The professors noticed the tension between them. Though they tried to put an end to it, lecturing about house unity, it did not change anything. Evani loved to send Seth into a rage. It gave her this sick pleasure. Serena warned her against it, claiming that her own father could get involved. Evani knew that he did not care much for Seth. He manipulated his need for a father, making Seth feel special. Over the past few weeks, Dumbledore kept attempting to get Evani alone. He wanted to work out the animosity between them. She avoided him completely. Nothing could be said to repair the damage his words caused. Everytime she just looked at him, it brought back memories of the night she found those files and left Hogwarts. Besides things at Hogwarts, Evani had to deal with the aftermath of the club incident. The funeral for those who died was held a few days ago. Though she put on a brave face, she felt like an emotional wreck on the inside. It took every bit of restraint to not break down crying. James told her that they were not very focused on solving the case. Bass's trophy wife made the aurors focus their efforts on him. He assured Evani that they would find the person behind the killings. On top of all that, her magic was completely out of her control. Little incidents would happen in the middle of classes. During a Transfiguration class, she accidentally shattered all of the windows and set a few desks on fire. Hermione knew that she had been behind the incidents. She claimed that it was due to stress and urged Evani to speak with the professors. Evani refused, knowing she could handle it on her own. Her one night of pleasant dreams had been a fluke. She continued having those violent nightmares, some about the party. No amount of pills or alcohol could make them go away. Evani was reaching her breaking point. Her friends could not understand what she was going through at the moment. Even her family provided no relief. They simply told her to take it one day at a time. If she heard her mother say it to her again, she would literally snap. She used her fights with Seth to take out those frustrations.

Evani was standing outside, pacing back and forth. She twirled the sapphire gem of her necklace between her fingers. Her thoughts drifted to the night of the party. The police wanted to question her more about what happened. Knowing she was in no mood to talk, her father convinced them to just use her original statements. She saw the bodies littering the floor of the club. A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it. She turned around to see a middle-aged man.

"Miss Rybek. I'm Dr. Wilson. I do treatment at the facility. Are you sure that you're okay to do this? I know you've been through quite an ordeal the past few weeks"

"I'm fine. You're the one that called me"

"He asked for you. I know you haven't seen him in many months. If things get too intense, you can leave at anytime"

She entered the building. Following Dr. Wilson, they stopped in front of a door. He opened it, letting her inside. The room was completely bare except for a steel table and a few chairs. She sat down at the table. A door on the other side of the room opened. Two guards entered the room with Alec. Handcuffs had been put around his wrists. One of the guards undid the cuffs, looping them through a hole before refastening them. It kept Alec from moving his hands. The guards left the room. She had not seen Alec since the night the police came for him. Reading his letters and seeing him in person were two very different things. His hands trembled a bit. He smiled.

"You still make my hands shake when I see you. I get those butterflies in my stomach. You look even more beautiful, if possible"

Evani avoided eye contact, staring at her lap. She played with her fingers.

"Evani, you c"

"Evie"

He looked confused. "I just go by Evie now"

"I'm still calling you by your real name. I love it…just like I love"

"What do you want?" she interrupted.

"Look at me"

Reluctantly, she glanced up. Their eyes locked. She could feel herself softening under his gaze. He always had that effect on her. When he asked if she got his letters, she simply nodded. He said that he knew she kept them hidden under her bed in her special hiding place.

"I heard about what happened to you. I'm sorry. If I wasn't stuck in here, I'd hunt down whoever hurt you this badly"

"That's why you asked me here? For that?"

"I wanted to see you. I keep your picture under my pillow but it's not the same as the real thing. My trial starts next month. I know they're going to ask you to testify. Don't do it"

Evani tried to hide her shock. How could Alec know that? She only mentioned it to Ginny and Serena while walking around the castle. Even her parents did not know about it yet. She was supposed to be a surprise witness for the prosecution against him. Alec could never hear about that, especially while stuck in this place.

"H—how do you know that?"

"I know how these trials work. You're supposed to tell everyone how you found the knife in my pocket and the blood on my clothes, how I had a poor temper when it came to other guys. I'm asking you to decline the offer"

"Why would I do that? You—Alec, you're guilty"

"I did it to protect you, because I love you. You still love me too, Evani"

"I don't"

"If you don't, why are you still wearing the necklace I gave you? I know you hid it with your magic"

Evani's fingers brushed against her neck. A necklace appeared underneath the one with the sapphire gem. It had a rose charm dangling from it. Alec gave it to her on their first date. After his arrest, she tried to get rid of it but could not bring herself to do it. She kept it hidden with an invisibility charm. He reached for her hand, barely touching her fingers.

"Don't let them lock me up. They'll let me go and then we can be together. We can run away from everything and be happy. Your parents are poisoning you against me. They're putting ideas in your head of how I'm insane and bad. You know the real me"

"I do still wear the necklace but not because of you"

She ripped the necklace off, putting it on the table. "It's to remind myself to never love anyone again. You completely screwed me up. Something's not right with me because of you. How could I be close to anyone after what you did?"

Evani stood up from the table. Not saying another word, she left the room. She apparated, landing in Hogsmeade. It was dinnertime. Instead of the castle, she went over to the Three Broomsticks, wanting to be alone. As she sat down at a back table, she saw a group of Slytherins. Pansy was clinging to Draco as usual. A ring glittered on her left hand. Last week, they had gotten engaged. Serena called it an arranged marriage. In the wizarding world, it was common for pureblood families to do that to ensure their pure bloodline stayed intact. They normally did not get together until the end of 7th year. Draco and Pansy's fathers decided on the deal early. She found the entire thing ridiculous. It was like being in the Middle Ages. Pansy bragged about the engagement at every opportunity, especially with Evani around. She kept saying how Draco's proposal had been romantic. Though Serena claimed Draco did not want to be with Pansy, his actions said different. Lately, he spent a lot of time with her, giving her public displays of affection. Evani figured he just wanted their relationship to seem genuine. She looked at pictures on her phone. Tears filled her eyes, seeing ones of her and Alec. Nic walked over to her table. Over winter break, he and Serena finally started dating. Serena was very happy about it, always gushing about Nic. He had been hanging out with her in Hogsmeade. Seeing her a bit depressed, he offered to buy her a drink. They got to know each other better. Alcohol was the only thing keeping her from losing her mind. She thought she could handle being near Alec again. There was a literal pain in her chest. She listened to Nic talk about his job in the Ministry law department. The rest of the Hogwarts students left as curfew neared. Drinking her sixth firewhiskey, she started to get tipsy.

"So is Serena good in bed?"

Nic choked on his drink. "I uh…we haven't"

"Are you serious? Are you sure you're into girls?"

"Of course. I just…she wants to take things slow"

"That must suck"

Evani touched his arm. She noticed his eyes flicker to her chest briefly. He was trying to not look interested. She read his dirty little thoughts. Nic was just like any other guy. He wanted her even if he had Serena.

"You're a guy. You only have one thing on your mind. Are you worried that she won't be good?"

"I—I'm not…it doesn't matter to me"

"You can be honest with me. I know you've been thinking of kissing me this whole time. Serena doesn't have to know"

Grabbing his arm, she brought him into the castle. Nic kissed her softly. She pulled away. Instead of Nic, she saw Alec. He forced her against the wall, pressing his lips against her neck. His hand slid up her dress. She dug her nails into the back of his neck, making him groan.

"I want you so much"

"Don't ever stop. I don't want you to leave me again"

"Nic?"

Evani opened her eyes. Nic was in front of her. She had imagined Alec in her head. Draco was standing a few feet away. Nic tried to explain himself.

"Get the hell out before I get Snape. You can't be here without permission"

She rolled her eyes as the coward left the castle. Serena had low standards.

"What were you doing with Nic?"

"You didn't have that talk with your parents yet? I think you're a little late"

"He's Serena's boyfriend. How can you do that to her? She's your friend"

"Oh shut up, he was drunk. It didn't mean anything"

She tried to head for the staircase. He moved in front of her. Her eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms.

"You were drinking too. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong"

"I don't want to talk! Why does everyone insist on talking? Talk, talk, talk! If I won't talk to my friends, why would I talk to you?! You want to talk? Well, I want everyone to leave me alone! I want everyone to stop acting like they understand!"

"Then help me understand. I know you're not feeling any better. I can see it when we're in class. You look ready to crack any minute"

"Get out of my way. I just want to go to sleep…and never wake up"

She pushed past him. As she reached the first step, he grabbed her wrist. He turned her towards him. Draco looked visibly upset.

"Don't say things like that. Evie, please let me help. You're my fr"

"We're not friends! Stop pretending like that is ever going to change!"

Her head seared with pain. She leaned against the railing. The usual disturbing images flashed through her mind. She snapped out of it, breathing heavily.

"Evie, what just happened? Why"

"Just leave me alone! Go be with your fiancee!"

"Evie, I don't—want to be with Pansy. I don't feel anything with her"

"Really? The vomit-inducing make-out sessions say different"

"I've tried to—I thought I could make the feelings happen. I don't want this marriage. Don't think that I—it's my parents. They're forcing me"

"Why do you care what I think?!"

Her eyes widened when he kissed her. It was filled with passion. He cupped her face in his hands. Her heart was racing. This intense spark ran through her body. It felt like all of her pain just vanished. She found herself kissing him back. Coming to her senses, she pushed him away. Before he could say anything, Evani ran up the staircase. She did not stop running until she reached her room. Burying her head in the pillow, she started to cry. A million thoughts raced through her head. Evani was crying, not out of anger, but because she had liked the kiss. She did not want to go through heartbreak again, after everything with Alec. A part of her still loved him. That was shown tonight when she imagined him in place of Nic. She spent the rest of the night crying, conflicted with her feelings…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	56. Chapter 56: Promises and Deals

-Two days later- Evani had spent all day yesterday avoiding Draco. She could not face him after what happened by the stairs. He kept trying to get her to talk to him. Luckily, Harry would interfere, telling Draco off. None of her friends knew about the kiss. They all just assumed that Draco was still attempting to amend their friendship. Evani could not figure out her feelings. She wanted to push it all out of her head. Even if she liked the kiss, she could not trust him. All she thought about was the possibility of another Alec situation. Draco had been aspiring to be a death eater. He could eventually kill someone. She did not want to go through that again. There were many reasons that they should not be together. She would say them in her mind to deter her from speaking to him. Evani went into the Great Hall, sitting with Serena, Ginny, Keith, and Colin. She never mentioned the kiss with Nic. Both of them were drunk so it meant nothing. She did not want to upset Serena. Keith was rushing to finish a Potions essay. He kept scribbling out lines.

"This is what you get, Keith"

"Shut up, Serena"

"I told you to do the essay with me last night" said Colin, shaking his head.

Evani took the pen from Keith. She blew on it, making it glow. The pen began to write on its own, finishing his essay in seconds. Keith hugged her side.

"Evie, you're a life-saver. Anything you need…just say it and I'll do it"

"Anything, huh?"

"As long as it's legal"

She smiled. "Well that ruins my fun"

Once the bell rang, she went up to the muggle studies classroom. Muggle studies became a required course this year. The educational committee for the school wanted to build better wizard-muggle relations. They thought it was essential for wizards to understand the muggle world and its culture. Of course, not everyone enjoyed the lessons. It was an easy class for the muggleborns, who had been raised in that world. The purebloods found it outright boring. Most of them saw no reason to learn about muggles, claiming they would always be in the wizarding world. Professor Burbage was a very kind-hearted woman. Being halfblood, she spent time in both worlds and always spoke enthusiastically about muggles. She found their lifestyle fascinating. The lessons in the class were usually about how muggles lived without magic and the differences between muggle and wizarding culture. They started an arts unit a few weeks ago. Professor Burbage entered the room, carrying a stack of boxes. Evani offered to help, taking some of the boxes from her. She placed them on her desk. Burbage said the lesson today would be about music in both worlds. Kids entered the room, some still yawning. She sat beside Harry. Charity began to discuss the history of music in the muggle world. She got into the song style, showing clips of singers from both the muggle and wizarding world. Evani noticed that wizarding world music, except for a few exceptions like the Weird Sisters, was too happy. All of the songs talked about joy, love, and hope. It was impossible to never feel any sort of sadness in life. Burbage asked what they thought of the music in both worlds, picking random kids to answer.

"It's too superficial here. No one's happy all the time"

"I wouldn't be if I was a mudblood either" said Seth.

Evani glared at him. "Mister Burke! 20 points from Slytherin"

Seth merely crossed his arms, looking unfazed. Tracey giggled under her breath. Burbage told him to apologize for his rude language. He simply refused. Evani did not understand how Burbage showed so much restraint. If she was the teacher, Seth would have a broken nose. Burbage had a lot of patience.

"You'll have detention tonight at 8, then. In this office"

"I don't have detention"

For a second, Draco and Blaise had exasperated expressions on their faces. She could tell that they were getting annoyed with his attitude. Over the break, Seth seemed to change a lot. He was far more arrogant and aggressive. She thought it had to do with spending time with his father. Their dynamic changed where instead of Draco, Seth acted as leader of their group. He used his connection to his father to assert his dominance.

"I am your teacher and"

"You teach a stupid class. No one cares about this class. It's pointless"

"Git" hissed Harry.

Ignoring his rude comments, Burbage continued the discussion. Seth made snide remarks under his breath. It was beginning to distract her.

"So for an assignment, I thought we could tie it into our arts unit. I have both art works and photos taken in the muggle world by famous photographers. I want you to study the art and come up with a song that fits it. It can be a song from here or the wizarding world. We'll do this in pairs that I will assign"

Evani knew this would be an easy assignment. Harry hoped that he got paired with her, knowing her arts background. Charity put him with Lavender. He groaned silently.

"Evani and Seth"

Her eyes widened. Burbage had to be making a mistake.

"WHAT?!" both she and Seth shouted.

"I am not working with her" he said, nastily.

"The other professors and I want this animosity between the two of you to stop"

"Charity, I can't do this assignment. I'll be in the hospital because I'd rather jump in front of a speeding train than deal with his royal chicken mcnugget here" said Evani.

"I think this will be good for the two of you. You'll learn to get along"

The tension in the room skyrocketed. Seth refused to work with her. Burbage countered that he would fail the course and have to repeat 5th year. He looked furious. Evani decided to push aside her hatred for Seth. It was only one homework assignment. A black and white picture appeared in front of Evani. It was of a couple in their early 20s. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. She put the picture into her bag.

"I guess I should talk to—it"

"Evie, that's not a good start. You're supposed to be best friends" said Harry, sarcastically.

"I will smack you until that scar falls off"

He smiled. Reluctantly, she went over to the Slytherins. Tracey stopped Seth from going under her skirt, giggling. He pulled her chair closer to him, forcefully.

"Seth, not here"

"Oh please not here. I'd like to not have to gouge out my eyes"

Seth turned around with a sneer. "What do you want, Rybek?"

"Look, I don't want to work with you anymore than you do with me. It's one assignment. So let's just get it over with. We'll meet tonight after dinner"

"Slytherin common room. I'm sure my stupid sister already told you the password"

"We're working in the library"

"Aw, is the wittle girl scared to be alone?"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I really don't give a damn. I'll be there"

Evani avoided any eye contact with Draco. She followed Hermione out of the classroom. Hermione said this assignment could be a good thing. She noted that Seth and Evani were getting very violent with each other lately. Evani rolled her eyes. When Hermione pointed out an incident where Seth fell into the venomous tentacula because Evani untied his shoes, Evani claimed that she had no proof. Hermione shot her a stern look.

"I'm going to be civil but we're not going to be braiding eachother's hair. He's a jerk and a foul snot. Like he won't take the chance of us alone to hex me"

They sat down in the history classroom. Binns began to lecture in his monotone voice.

"He won't. I'm sure Malfoy will take care of that"

Evani tensed up. Hermione wrote in her notebook as Binns spoke.

"Evie, he never takes his eyes off of you. He still likes you. I'm not saying that you should forgive him. I just mean that he'll protect you"

"I don't know if he has the same control over Burke anymore"

"It has been a bit strange in their group lately. Did something happen between you two? You're avoiding him like a plague"

Evani shook her head. Not wanting to talk anymore about Slytherins, Evani focused on Binns's lecture. After dinner, she went down to the Slytherin common room. An owl flew over to her. It had a note tied to its leg. Curiously, she took the note. She unfolded it. The note read 'I know your secret'. Evani started to get these strange notes yesterday. Owls would deliver them or they randomly showed up in her books. The notes all had these cryptic, unsigned messages. Some sounded like threats. The messages called her a murderer and kidnapper, among other mean things. She knew it had to be Seth since he mentioned Bass's kidnapping. It was completely foolish. Seth wanted to scare her with these little notes. She conjured the rest of the notes. Another appeared at the top of the pile. It read 'Takes one to know one'. Frustrated, she entered the common room. She saw Seth on the couches with his usual gang, watching a quidditch match. They were complaining about England's poor scoring while drinking butterbeers. She stood in front of Seth, blocking his view.

"What the hell are you doing, Rybek? Move"

Staying in the same spot, she dumped the notes on his lap. He looked confused.

"Are these love notes or something? I can't blame you for falling for me"

"You know what they are, Burke. They're really cute but they're going to stop. Your little messages aren't going to work on me"

Seth glanced at the notes. He scoffed, claiming he never wrote them. She glared. He was purposely trying to annoy her.

"Evie, what messages are you"

"Stay out of it. Shouldn't you be sniffing your fiancee's ass to show your interest? Or is she busy biting a toy bone and burying it outside?"

Blaise stifled a laugh. Draco was silent.

"Listen, Burke, it's bad enough that I have to work with you on this assignment and be in here with you…rejects. The least you could do is own up to your stupid game"

"Why are you so convinced it's me, Rybek? From what I hear, a lot of people could be saying these about you"

She glared. There was a small smirk on his face. She leaned closer to him.

"I know it's you. You're the only one here who knows about a certain something and the only person who would use this dumb tactic"

"Maybe it was my dad" he hissed, low enough for only her to hear.

"Your dad was busy in France when these were sent, meeting with werewolves"

"How do you know that?" he asked, surprised.

"I know a lot more than you think. You have no proof that I did anything. Even if you did, he deserved what happened to him"

Pansy and her clique entered the common room. Tracey reacted angrily, seeing the closeness between Evani and Seth. She assumed that Evani was trying to seduce him. Adrian defended Evani. He forced her to sit down between him and Seth. Tracey glared daggers at her. Reaching into a box, Adrian took out a bottle of butterbeer. Draco was watching her. Pansy sat on his lap, kissing him. She turned away from them, taking out her muggle studies book and their assignment photo. Still annoyed with Seth, she asked if he looked at the picture at all. He was focused on the quidditch game. She slammed her book shut on his hand. He hissed in pain.

"What the hell is your problem, Rybek?"

"Pay attention. I don't want to be here longer than I have to be"

"Just pick a happy, lovey-dovey song. It has a couple in it or whatever"

"It's not a lovey-dovey picture. He's distant to her and she looks sad. She's reaching for his hand and can't touch it…meaning there's a disconnect between them. He's leaving her and she doesn't know why" she said, looking at the picture.

Seth continued to watch the game. He commented on one of the chasers for the England team, saying he had bad aim.

"Burke, can you focus?"

His eyes were still on the TV. "It's time you learned your place, Rybek. Girls are supposed to do what guys tell them. Guys don't do the work"

Angrily, she threw the butterbeer in his face. He jumped up out of shock.

"You stupid bitch!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Look, you can be a sexist pig to your girlfriend all you want but you won't talk to me like that"

He wiped the butterbeer from his face. There was a fury in his eyes. Kids watched the exchange between them. Graham told them both to calm down. Evani scrunched her nose.

"Obviously, you learned your manners from your trashy mother"

Seth snarled. "Don't you dare insult my mother, Rybek"

"She's pathetic just like you. A ditzy trophy wife who was knocked up by Daddy just to get him some potential kids to brainwash into thinking that he gave two shits about them"

"At least my parents care about me! Yours shipped you off overseas because they didn't want to deal with your issues!"

Her anger overcame her. Seth was thrown back, slamming into the wall. He fell to the floor, weakly. The lights in the room began to flicker. She could feel electricity sparking from her fingers. Her magic was losing control. Being around Seth would just make her angrier. She left the common room.

As she got up to the ground floor, she heard "Seth, don't!"

She sensed Seth running down the corridor. Quickly, she hurried towards the forest. A spell whizzed past her. She continued running, heading for the forest. A force tackled her, causing her to roll down the hill. She landed by the Black Lake, with Seth on top of her. He held a knife against her throat. She started screaming, hoping someone would hear. Seth smacked her hard. She felt light-headed.

"I'm going to help you join your filthy muggle friends, Rybek"

He moved the knife along her cheek. "No one can save you"

She head-butted him hard, causing him to fall back. Dizzily, she stood up from the grass. He grabbed her roughly. The knife pierced her stomach. She cried out in pain. Her back began to burn intensely. She fell to the ground. Seth smirked.

"Evie!"

Her vision was getting blurry. Draco rushed over to her, bending down.

"What did you do?!"

"Gave her what she deserved"

He took out his wand. "You're okay. Look at me. You're okay" he whispered.

"Stop pitying that trash, Draco"

"Why are you two out of the castle at this ho—Miss Rybek?"

Snape had walked over. His eyes flickered to the knife in Seth's hand then to her wound.

"Seth, what have you done? Give me the knife"

"Don't tell me you're showing pity to this brat too. She deserved it. She's learning her place. I'm superior"

Expecting blood, she noticed her wound sealing up. Seth held his own stomach. The wound had formed on him. It seeped through his shirt. He staggered back. The pain in her back worsened. A series of gashes formed on his face. Seth fell to the ground, spewing blood. Draco kept her face buried in his shoulder.

"Draco, you'll take Miss Rybek back to her common room"

"Yes, sir"

He brought her back to the castle. Instead of the Gryffindor common room, he made her sit in an empty corridor. He told her that the knife was filled with dark magic. Over the break, Seth stole it from his father's study. He thought that the knife turned on him for not being its true owner, causing the injuries on Seth. Evani knew different. A gut feeling told her that she hurt Seth. Draco was looking at her. He leaned closer. Quickly, she turned her head.

"Evie, we need to talk about this. You kissed me back. I know you feel something too"

"It doesn't matter what I feel. I—I can't…take the chance that I'm wrong about you"

"I've never lied to you"

"Yet. Everyone does. Everyone just tricks me and lies to me. I don't even know what's real anymore"

"Evie, I care about you. I want you"

"It doesn't matter. You're engaged"

"I don't care. I don't care that you're not pureblood. I don't care if my parents disapprove. For once, I'm making my own choice and that's you. I think something happened to you in the past and it makes it hard for you to trust people. It's okay to open up"

Evani was silent. She wanted to trust Draco. Part of her kept thinking about Alec. There was still unresolved feelings with him. Draco took off the ring on his right hand. It was sterling silver with an engraving of a snake. Draco wore it all the time. He put it on her ring finger on her left hand. She looked at him, surprised.

"Consider that a promise…that I care about you and I will never hurt you"

Before she could say anything, he put a finger to her lips. He suggested that they could take things slow. They would not put a label on the relationship yet. He said he did not mind if it took her time to get over her trust issues. She nodded and hugged him…

~Draco~

Draco had just returned Evani to her common room. He looked at his now bare right hand. That ring had been on his hand for so long that it left a white mark on his finger. His mother always told him to give it to someone special. She had a similar ring, a gift from his father. Draco smiled, knowing that if anyone deserved it, it was Evani. He could tell that she had her secrets. Evani was a very guarded person, even more than him. She did not like going to other people with her problems, wanting to fix them herself. He knew that there was a reason that she was fighting her feelings for him. Instinct told him that it had to be an old boyfriend. Before Evani left Hogwarts abruptly before winter break, he overheard her, Serena, and the little Weasley talking by the lake. She mentioned someone named Alec. Just saying his name made her tear up, telling Draco that he hurt her badly. Draco would show her that he was nothing like him.

Quietly, he returned to his room. Everyone was freaking out over Seth. Word spread quickly about his injuries. He assumed that his friends had gone to the hospital wing to check on him. Reaching under his bed, he pulled out an old soup can, a portkey. He tapped it with his wand, activating it. In an instant, he landed outside his manor. He entered the manor, figuring out what to say in his head. A bit anxious, he knocked on the door to his father's study. It swung open. His father was standing by the bookshelf, next to Voldemort. Draco's heart raced. He did not think that they might be having a meeting at this time. His father looked surprised.

"Draco, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you...but you're busy. I can come back tomorrow or"

"Anything you'd like to say to me can be said in front of Tom"

Draco felt even more nervous. He thought about being with Evani. That gave him enough courage to continue with his original plan.

"I don't want to marry Pansy"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't—I…Father, it's not right to her. I don't feel anything towards her"

"It's the Rybek girl, isn't it?"

His father was very perceptive. Draco knew that he picked up on how Draco treated Evani during their little trip in the forest. He worried that he would be putting her in danger.

"Lucius, the boy can't help who he falls for, can he? Why don't you check if Greyback sent any news about his decision?"

Voldemort was the last person he expected to defend him. His father left the study. Draco's face felt warm. He did not want to be left alone with the dark wizard.

"You like this girl very much, don't you, Draco?"

"Y—yes, sir"

"I'd like to propose a deal. I will convince your father to let you break off your engagement and pursue a relationship with who you choose…and you will report to me everything Miss Rybek does. Where she goes, who she speaks with in person or on the phone, any messages she receives…"

Draco looked at him, confused. Why did he still care about Evani? He only needed her to get to the cave. That trip proved pointless because the shield charm could not be broken.

"Why do you want to know that?"

"That is my business. I will know if you withhold any information. Do we have a deal?"

Draco nodded. He doubted that it would cause trouble. Evani never did anything strange. She never even left the castle. Flicking his wand, Voldemort conjured a folder. He told her that it would help him with his relationship with her. Draco returned to his room using the portkey. He sat on his bed, looking at the folder. It was from St. Mungo's. He remembered her getting a message from Dumbledore that one day in Herbology, telling her to go to the hospital. The file listed Healer Sage, a well-known therapist. Curiously, Draco read the file. There were some gaps, most likely due to a charm so that only the healers could see that information. Under a section called 'Background', he found that name Alec. He was Evani's boyfriend and had killed numerous guys to defend her. It was no wonder that she had trouble trusting Draco. He read Evani's words about Alec. She had been in love with him and his actions crushed her emotionally. After his arrest, Evani experienced a short downward spiral where she acted out aggressively. Draco continued to read the file on her past…


	57. Chapter 57: Exposed

-A week later-Ever since that night with Seth, Evani and Draco became much closer. Though her friends, especially Harry, were very against it, she wanted to be friends again. She never told anyone what happened that night. Seth's injuries were far worse than they appeared. On the outside, he had a series of deep cuts at various parts of his body. The injuries extended to inside of him as well. He was almost completely blind and his body had been paralyzed, keeping him in bed. Immediately, the professors sent him to St. Mungo's for treatment. It sent the students into a panic. Dumbledore calmed them down, claiming that Seth had been afflicted by dark magic. Like Draco said, the knife had dark properties. Dumbledore told the students that touching the knife caused his injuries and warned them to not buy items from questionable vendors. Even his parents could not deny it since the knife got tested by the aurors. Evani knew it was not the knife. Watching her wound re-appear on Seth himself, she had a feeling that she hurt him. It honestly scared her. While the other kids freaked out about Seth recovering, she worried about herself. She had no idea how it happened. It was almost like her magic punished him for hurting her. After Seth had been taken to the hospital, she mentioned it to Draco. He tried to calm her down, telling her she could not be responsible. Not wanting to worry him more, she kept it to herself. She had been spending the past few days in the library, looking up similar phenomena to get some kind of explanation.

Draco wanted her to forget about that night. Somehow, his father ended the engagement to Pansy. Knowing his father, Evani wondered what Draco promised in exchange for it. She doubted his father, being such a strict pureblood, would ever accept that Draco wanted to be with her, a muggleborn. Pansy was furious about the breakup and kept pestering him for an explanation. He would simply tell her that his father changed his mind. She assumed that someone stole him from her. Evani felt bad for Pansy. Not wanting to hurt her more, she told Draco to keep their relationship a secret for now. Draco was surprisingly fine with not labeling themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend. He kept up with his promise of taking things slow. To keep their relationship secret, they would sneak down to Hogsmeade or hang out in the Astronomy Tower. Evani was beginning to let her walls down around him. She trusted him more, remembering how he defended her against Seth, and opened up about her nightmares and the therapy sessions. He was furious that Dumbledore treated her like some chess piece and compared her to Voldemort. Though he urged her to report it to someone in the Ministry, she claimed it would be pointless. She was really enjoying being with Draco. Their time alone let her see the softer side to him. Beneath the façade he put on for others, he was very sweet and gentle. Eventually, she opened up about Alec. She worried about being unable to testify against him, especially since she still had some feelings for him. Draco understood her conflict but said that it was important to keep him out of her life. He said that he would even go with her to the trial for support.

She was sitting in the Three Broomsticks with Draco. His arm slid around her waist. He kissed her cheek. She smiled.

"Draco, this is supposed to be secret"

"I can't help myself"

"Aren't you two cozy?"

Serena walked over to their booth. Both Serena and Ginny noticed a change in Evani's behavior. They assumed that she was seeing someone. Evani kept denying it but it did not deter them. She knew they would figure it out soon.

"You two look very happy alone"

"We're just catching up on things. We didn't talk for a long time, Serena"

"Sure. Well Michael and Ginny are trying to swallow each other's faces outside Honeyduke's so I'll hang out with you two…friends"

Serena sat beside Evani. Draco looked a bit annoyed. Under the table, Evani pinched his arm. She would not let him send her away. One of the waitresses brought over a tray of butterbeers. Draco paid for them. Evani asked her about Seth. Despite their hatred for each other, Serena did still care about Seth. She visited him every day before and after classes with her mother. The incident devastated her mother, to the point that she spent all of her time at St. Mungo's. Serena told them that his vision was returning but they were having problems with treating the paralysis. A group of 6th years walked over to their table.

"Hey Burke, I'm surprised they're still letting you stay here. Shouldn't they worry that nutcases seem to run in your family?"

Despite Dumbledore's story to explain Seth's injuries, a lot of kids did not believe it. There were rumors that Seth had been attempting to use dark magic on purpose. With his reputation, it did not seem that far-fetched. They thought that he made a mistake, leading to his injuries. Besides Seth, her family was being scrutinized by the public. The aurors at the American Ministry identified the handwriting the note, matching it to her father. It made him one of the lead suspects in Bass's disappearance. Evani was to blame. Having Bass imprisoned was not some random idea. She used him to frame her bigger target, Voldemort. Evani and James gave anonymous witness statements, claiming to hear an argument between Bass and the supposed Mr. Burke at the Ministry. They provided proof through altered memories. Their statements and the threat-filled note made him a top suspect. She knew from James that they had him in for questioning. Unfortunately, memories could not be considered concrete proof since charms could alter them. Evani continued masquerading as Bass to his wife, pretending to be kidnapped. His disappearance had drawn huge attention. The _Daily Prophet_ reported on Mr. Burke's possible involvement, the news spreading through the castle within hours. Kids had begun teasing Serena, calling her family psychotic. Evani felt bad that she indirectly caused the bullying. She assured herself that it would all be worth it. Serena glared at the group as the girls, including Cho and Marietta, giggled. Evani had begun to greatly dislike Cho. The more she got to know her, the less she seemed fit for Harry. She regretted thinking that they would be a good couple.

"Shut up. You're not funny"

"Maybe they'll just throw your whole family in Azkaban together"

"Leave her alone, McLaggen"

"Or what? Going to have Malfoy beat me up?"

"I don't need him to do that. I'll gladly do it myself"

Continuing to snigger, they walked away. Serena looked at her butterbeer.

"Serena, don't listen to him. You know they love a chance to take our families down a notch" said Draco.

"Is it sad that I think my dad did make Bass disappear?"

"He wouldn't do that. They're friends"

"Just forget it. Evie, are you doing anything tonight?"

"Yea. I'm going home"

Draco looked at her, confused. She explained that there was this charity event at the American Ministry. James had invited her weeks ago. The event was to benefit the hospital, St. Baxter's, to get more funding. She promised James to go, wanting to see him. To her surprise, he smiled.

"I'll be there too"

"You will?"

"Yea, most of us will be. They always invite the wealthy pureblood families, hoping they'll donate a lot. My mom is forcing me to go now…with Seth in the hospital and all. She said it would be respectful. I didn't think you'd be invited. I forgot that James's mother has been taking over for Bass"

"Then I'll see you there"

Once they returned from Hogsmeade, she got ready for the event. Ginny was helping her pick out an outfit. Evani chose a long-sleeved dark blue mini dress that stopped about mid-thigh with a v-neck cut in the front.

"Ginny, you could come too. James said I could bring someone"

"And be around a bunch of stuffy, arrogant purebloods? I'll pass. It sounds boring"

After she got dressed, she left the castle. She apparated, landing outside the Ministry. An arm slipped around hers. She looked beside her, seeing James.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. I heard something really exciting might happen"

They entered the Ministry together. "Did you?"

"Some might call it unexpected"

Evani and James spent ten minutes meeting numerous people at the insistence of his mother, including Bass's wife. She spotted Draco and a few other Hogwarts students, mainly Slytherins, with their parents. Serena was with both of her parents, looking bored. Her mother pestered her for not standing like a proper lady. Serena merely rolled her eyes. Draco nodded his head towards the hallway. Excusing herself, Evani met him there.

"You look…"

"If you say anything other than beautiful, I'll smack you"

"I can't say that. It would be an understatement"

"Kiss-up"

He kissed her, pulling her closer. She felt her knees weaken. As he moved his hand down her back, she sensed someone watching. Serena was at the end of the hallway. She smirked.

"Hey. So just friends, huh?"

Evani grabbed her arm, pulling her down the hallway. She explained their situation. Serena giggled. She told Evani that they were not very subtle. Serena and Ginny had figured that this mysterious guy must be Draco.

"Just keep it between us"

"You really like him, don't you?"

"I do but the last guy I really liked…that's why we're taking it slow"

The event started. Draco sat next to Evani at a table. Serena drew a heart in the air with two fingers. He chucked a napkin at her, only making her laugh quietly. James sat on the other side of Evani. She noticed Draco look a bit envious. He seemed to see James as a threat. Under the table, she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers, to reassure him. Like Ginny said, the event was very boring. People made long speeches to increase the donations. Every 15 minutes, the families would give some money. After two hours, they raised over 5 million galleons. Evani had been to similar events in the muggle world. It was like a competition to see who could donate the most, giving the top donor an inner sense of importance. A video played, showing the benefits of increased funding for the hospital. Suddenly, the video cut off. It was replaced with footage of an office in the Ministry. Various clips played, exposing some secrets of Ministry employees. A clip of the law department changed to one of Bass's office. Evani's eyes widened, seeing a hook-up between her and James. He put her on top of the desk, unzipping her skirt. James stared at the floor, avoiding the furious expression on his mother's face. Pansy and her clique looked smug. They giggled snootily. Evani turned to Draco. He was silent.

"Draco, it's not what you think. I—it was a few days after I left Hogwarts. I was still upset about everything and I went out with friends. I got wasted and James and I were…I don't like him like that. Please don't be mad"

"I'm not. I understand"

She blushed. "This is so embarassing. Who would do this?"

"It's okay. Don't get upset" he said, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Lucky bastard" muttered Blaise.

Draco glared harshly at him. Tears filled her eyes. The clip changed, right before anyone could see her clothes off. It showed a conversation between Bass and…Voldemort. They appeared to be arguing. He threatened Bass to not double-cross him or it would lead to bad consequences.

"I—isn't that Serena and Seth's dad?"

The video was cut off. Everyone whispered, looking over at him and Mrs. Burke. Serena slid further down her chair.

"Why don't you get our coats and we'll head back to the castle, Evie?"

"What if everyone at school sees this? They'll think that"

"They'll think nothing. It's not your fault. Some scumbag did this"

"Evie, I'm sorry. I didn't even know there were cameras in the office" said James.

"You're not helping. Just don't talk" said Draco.

Despite saying that he was okay with the hook-up, she could see that it simply fueled his envy towards James. Evani left the room. She headed for the coat closet. As she turned the corner, she was slammed into the wall. Voldemort stood in front of her. He had a tight grip on her.

"I know you're behind this"

"Behind what?"

"Very clever slipping in footage of yourself to eliminate any suspicion. I know how you work, my dear"

"Mr. Burke, I don't understand. I just want to go back to the school. Can you please let me go?"

His eyes changed dark brown to a scarlet red. He was squeezing her arms. She winced.

"Drop the act. You know exactly who I am. Seth mentioned to me that you were aware of the truth"

"What do you mean? Sir, you're hurting me. Please stop"

"I've been passive since you are just a child. Clearly, I underestimated you, Evani. We are going to start playing an entirely different game"

Evani looked at him, confused. She gasped.

"You think I hurt Mr. Bass, sir? That's insane. I've only met him once. What possible motive could I have to threaten his life? It's not like he's ever threatened me. I'm sorry that everyone thinks it's you…but you can't just randomly blame people"

He chuckled. "You do astound me. That innocent face may fool most but you and I both know exactly what you are capable of, my dear. What's your goal here? Convicting me for this mess to expose my identity to the world?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

She heard a loud clatter. He leaned close to her ear.

"We are not done here. We'll be meeting again soon"

As he let her go, she fell to the floor. He continued down the corridor. Draco rushed over to her. He helped her up from the floor.

"Evie, did he hurt you? I knocked over a trash bin to distract him"

"I'm fine. He's really mad"

"The aurors are looking to question him again. Either he is behind Bass's disappearance or someone's doing an amazing job at framing him"

He grabbed their coats from the closet. She put hers on, wiping at her eyes. Draco assured her that no one would talk about the video of her and James. He threatened all of the Hogwarts students with a hex to keep it quiet. If they ever spoke of it again, they would be cursed with injuries even worse than Seth's.

"Let's go back"

"I'm going to talk to James"

"Why?"

"Draco, he's my friend. He's affected by this too. I'll meet you at the Astronomy Tower"

"Don't take too long"

Evani walked over to James. He was being reprimanded by his father for being careless. When she saw Evani, Mrs. Nolan apologized for the mess. She told her that once they found the culprit, they would be severely punished. Mrs. Nolan left to do more damage control. James slipped a flashdrive into her hand. She smirked.

"Nice job slipping us in there" he said.

"One of my more brilliant ideas. Did they buy it?"

"Oh yea. The aurors said it's good evidence that he had some involvement. Someone even stepped forward and told them that they saw Bass and him talking the night of the rights conference. They already went to his manor to wait for him"

"Perfect"

"So what's our plan here? After he gets convicted…"

"Don't worry about it. I know exactly what to do. Just make sure no one traces it to us"

Evani returned to the castle. She headed up to the Astronomy Tower. Draco was leaning against the railing, looking out at the grounds. She went over to him.

"Evie, are you and James really just friends?"

"Of course, silly"

"You just seem so close"

"We've known each other for years, Draco. We've been through a lot together. He's like a brother"

"Siblings don't usually hook-up"

Playfully, she hit his shoulder. Evani unhooked the sapphire gem from her necklace. Opening her clutch, she pulled out a sterling silver ring with an emerald gem. With a spell, she shrunk the sapphire and switched the two gems. She suggested that it could replace the ring he gave her.

"Evie, you never take that off"

"I know. My dad gave it to me when I was born. He said it would always protect me. I have you to do that"

She put the ring on his finger. "I know I've been really difficult"

"You haven't"

"Yes, I have. You're being so patient while I'm stuck on…the past. I really trust you and this is a promise that I don't need anyone but you. I've been hurt a lot, way too much in the past few months alone. You're something good in my life and I don't want to lose that"

Draco looked at the ring. He hugged her. They sat down in the tower together. He kept his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. They spent the rest of the night, cuddling and gazing up at the stars in the sky…


	58. Chapter 58: Dumbledore's Departure

-Three days later- After the events at the American Ministry, most of the public was convinced that Mr. Burke had a role in Bass's disappearance. The aurors just needed one last bit of evidence to connect him to the crime. Evani told James to keep his head down to avoid suspicion. She was handling the last part of the plan on her own. While she worked out the final details, she continued her search in the library. None of the books seemed helpful. Hermione suggested that she go to Dumbledore. Evani refused, not wanting anything to do with him. She would rather go to Voldemort for advice. Evani was spending dinner in the library. She searched the different sections. After she passed the Transfiguration section for the tenth time, she went over to Madam Pince. Always having an irritable expression on her face, she seemed to prefer books in place of people. Pince glanced up at her.

"Something I can help you with, dear?"

"I need help finding information but it's kind of hard to know where to look"

"Follow me"

Evani followed her to the back of the library. There was a small podium in a corner. Pince explained that Evani just pressed her hand against the podium and said the subject aloud. Books matching that topic would come towards her. She expressed the need to be very specific. Evani thanked her for the help. Once Pince returned to her desk, Evani touched the podium.

"Let's see…controlling your magic?"

A book floated down in front of her. It opened on its own. At the top of the page, the title read '_Issues with control'_. The book mentioned that a wizard showed signs of magic by age seven. This was their basic abilities. Each year after that first use, their magic grew on the anniversary of that day. Usually, it would be on their birthday and when they reached seventeen, the growth stopped. Their power at that point could not be altered without some kind of magical aid. It talked about how muggleborns had the hardest time controlling magic since their environment was mostly non-magical. If a wizard spent too much time in the muggle world, their magic became constricted. It was the reason for the wizarding schools. By having them in the school, they were constantly surrounded by magic. It explained Evani's own problem. She remembered being able to use magic as just a toddler. Not being around other wizards for all this time kept her magic locked up. It was such a swift transition that it must have thrown off her body, causing these little slip-ups. Going home again made things worse. The book said that it could take months to adjust. Evani pressed her hand against the podium again, wanting to learn more about that night with Seth. She was sure of how to describe the topic.

"Getting hurt but someone gets the injuries instead…no, that sound st"

Suddenly, more than a dozen books came flying at her. The books knocked her to the floor. More of them kept coming from the shelves. The books froze in mid-air. Lukas was by one of the shelves. He helped her up, fixing a tiny scrape on her chin. Pince bustled over, looking frantic. She yelled at Evani for being careless.

"It's not my fault. I didn't—look, I did what you told me"

Pince picked up one of the books. Her eyes widened.

"What are you asking for books from the restricted section for, dear?"

"I wasn't"

"All of these are from there. Both of you, out!"

Before Evani could see what the books were, Lukas took her out of the library. He asked what went wrong with the seeker stand. She assumed that was what she used to get the books.

"I was just…forget it"

"Evie, you can talk to me about it"

"My magic's been a little weird lately. I wanted answers. I didn't ask for anything from the restricted section. It's like they just came to me"

"Don't worry about Pince. She freaks out over everything with those books. We should get to the DA meeting"

They headed to the Room of Requirement. Lukas kept sneaking small glances at her.

"So um…I was thinking after the meeting, we could go down to the Three Broomsticks"

Evani bit her lip, lightly. She would hate to tell Lukas about her and Draco being sort of together. He had wanted to take her on a date months ago but she turned him down, not ready for that commitment.

"But Malfoy might not like that"

She looked at Lukas. "Max and Roger got dragged to that charity benefit. They said you two were being really…cozy. Max even said he saw you two sneak off alone"

"Lukas, don't be mad at him"

"I'm not mad at _him_"

There was a slight anger in his voice. She did not prepare herself for that. If he found out, she expected that he would be annoyed and warn her about Draco being a bad person. He chuckled.

"I just find it funny. I mean, we had a great time at the movies and you said that you weren't ready for even a date"

"I wasn't then. Lukas, I wasn't ready to commit to that"

"But you're perfectly fine being in a relationship with that snake"

"Don't call him that. Draco and I aren't dating. We're…"

"You're something. What is it about him? I really want to know. What does he have that I don't?"

"It's not something I can explain. Sometimes, it just happens"

Lukas did not look satisfied with her answer. Before she could go into the Room of Requirement, he grabbed her arm. She winced, feeling his fingers dig into her skin. It scared her a little. She never saw Lukas like this before.

"Is this what you do? You lead guys on and then treat them like nothing?"

"No. Lukas, I'm really sorry. I didn't want you to find out like this. We can still be friends"

"I love you"

Her eyes widened. "Lukas"

"You feel something with me too. Don't deny it. Forget that blonde idiot and be with me. He doesn't understand you, Evie. We're perfect for each other"

"Lukas, I don't feel the same. I…really want to be with Draco and I can't help how I feel. Let me go"

He only tightened his grip more. She pushed her hand against his chest. He was thrown back, hitting the opposite wall. She entered the room and went over to Serena and Ginny. They noticed the bruise on her arm. She told them that Lukas caused it. They looked at her, surprised. Lukas was not a violent person at all. She explained that Max and Roger mentioned her being close to Draco at the charity event and it made him angry.

"Forget it. Talk about something else"

"Cho hates you"

"Ginny, something happy"

"Sorry, but you should know. I overheard her and her giggly friends during dinner. We were sitting with Michael. She doesn't want you around Harry. She thinks you'll steal him"

"Why?"

"Because Pansy is sort of spreading a rumor that you seduced Draco to get him out of their engagement. No one knows about you two but she's always been jealous of how he is with you" said Serena.

Evani rolled her eyes. She did not need to deal with jealous girls. Cho had no reason to be threatened by her. Evani was not trying to be in a relationship with Harry. She saw him as an older brother, not a boyfriend. Seamus showed up with Dean, his first meeting after making up with Harry. Lukas was standing near the windows with his friends. He would not even look in her direction. Evani felt terrible. She did not want to lose Lukas's friendship over a guy. Harry shut the door, locking it. He suggested that since it was the last meeting before Easter holidays, they could start patronus charms. Kids whispered excitedly to each other. Harry began to explain the difficulty in patronus charms. He went over the basic technique and showed his own, a silver stag.

"Patronuses reflect your personality so it's a reflection of you. You need to think of a powerful memory, something happy. Let it fill you up and then try the incantation"

One by one, kids attempted the spell. Most could barely get a wisp of smoke. To her surprise, Hermione seemed to be struggling. Harry was helping Cho, lifting her arm up properly. Cho batted her eyelashes at him. After a while, Hermione and Ron were able to make patronuses, an otter and a jack terrier. Other kids had some success as well, though not all fully-formed. After her tenth try, Cho produced a swan-shaped patronus.

"We're like meant to be together. This proves it. Deers and swans both live in forests"

Ginny, Serena, and Evani stifled giggles into their sleeves.

"And she's in Ravenclaw?" muttered Evani.

"Maybe she hit her head after getting sorted and all of her brain cells got knocked out" said Serena.

Harry went over to them. Serena and Ginny attempted the charm. They conjured their own patronus, a cat and a horse.

"Evie, aren't you going to try?"

"It's a little hard to think of a happy memory right now"

"I know you can do it. I'm right here to help"

She pointed her wand at the floor. For her memory, she thought of her family.

"Expecto patronum"

An enormous silver dragon emerged from her wand. It reminded her of a Romanian Razortail. The size of it almost reached the ceiling. It bowed its head to her. Everyone looked at her, surprised. Harry smiled. As he praised her for doing it on her first try, Cho glared at her. Evani got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The tip of her wand glowed blue, a signal to her that the hex she and Hermione placed on the list had been activated. Dobby hurried into the room and frantically tugged on the bottom of Harry's jeans.

"Hi Dobby. What are you—what's wrong?"

The house-elf was shaking with eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Dobby?"

"Harry Potter, sir…the other house-elves have been warned not to tell…but Dobby had to warn you"

Dobby ran into the wall, falling onto the cushion. Harry picked him up, urging him to tell him what was wrong. Dobby revealed that Umbridge found out about the DA. Evani tried to figure out who was missing. Terrified, kids ran from the Room of Requirement. She followed after them. Everyone headed in different directions. She heard Harry yell in pain. He had fallen to the floor, hitting his head. Draco came out from behind one of the statues, smirking.

"Trip jinx, Potter. Professor, I got one! He's"

She ran back to help Harry. Draco looked worried.

"Evie? You're—you need to leave. Go before she sees you" he hissed.

"I am not leaving him"

She helped Harry up from the floor. Umbridge bustled over, a delighted smile on her face.

"It's him! Excellent, Draco. Fifty points to Slytherin"

Her eyes flickered to Evani. "And little Miss Rybek as well. Another fifty points"

"Professor, Evie wasn't—I saw her coming out of the bathroom and she came to help Potter. She's not part of it" said Draco, trying to sound convincing.

"Oh, don't be naïve, dear. Have the others search around the floor, check for anyone out of breath"

Draco gave Evani a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry" he mouthed.

Evani had no idea why he would be helping Umbridge. By others, she assumed Umbridge meant other Slytherins. Who else would help this toad-faced tyrant? She grabbed Evani's arm in a vice-like grip.

"Get your hands off her!" said Harry.

Umbridge got hold of Harry, dragging both him and Evani to Dumbledore's office. To her surprise, Evani saw that the office was packed. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk with McGonagall standing beside him tensely while Fudge was near the fireplace with Kingsley, Dawlish, and Percy, who had a notepad in his hand. The portraits of past headmasters high above the desk watched with rapt attention. Fudge was glaring at Harry with vicious satisfaction. Umbridge let go of both of them.

"Well, well, well…"

Harry's hands were shaking with fury. Fudge looked over at Evani.

"And a little friend too, the one from the trial. I should've expected that you were involved"

"They were heading back to Gryffindor tower, Cornelius. The Malfoy boy cornered them" "Did he, now? Well, I will certainly tell Lucius"

"Do not confess" she heard Dumbledore say in her head.

"Well, I expect you two know why you're here"

"No" they chorused.

His glare faltered. "Excuse me?"

"No idea"

While Fudge turned to Umbridge, they glanced at Dumbledore. He was looking at his desk, giving a small nod.

"So you have no idea why you are in this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules? Ministry decrees? It's news to you that an illegal organization has been found in this school?"

Evani gasped. "Right under your nose? Who would do such a thing?"

Fudge looked ready to explode. His reddening face made it worth being here. Umbridge offered to fetch their informant. After a few minutes, she returned with Marietta, who hid her face in her hands.

"Your girlfriend has awesome friends" whispered Evani.

Harry stared at Marietta in disbelief. Umbridge patted her back. She tried to calm her down, saying her mother would be proud. Apparently, her mother worked in the Ministry, aiding Umbridge with watching the fireplaces.

"Come now, girl, don't be shy. Tell us what you—goodness!"

As Marietta showed her face, Fudge jumped back in shock, almost catching his robes on fire. The words 'SNEAK' were written across her face in purple sores, disfiguring her. Marietta squealed, covering her face with her sweater.

"When we leave, you better worry about more than those spots, bitch" she mouthed, making the strawberry blonde girl even more nervous.

Harry suppressed a smile, proud of Evani and Hermione's jinxing abilities.

"Never mind the spots, dear. Just tell the Minister"

Shaking her head frantically, she let out a muffled cry. Umbridge sighed in frustration. She told Fudge that Marietta came to her office after dinner, admitting to the secret meetings and their location. When Marietta confessed, the jinx happened and she stopped talking at the sight of her appearance.

"That was very brave of you, dear. Could you tell me who was there? What was the meeting's purpose?"

Marietta kept her head down. "Don't you know the counter-jinx for this? So she can speak?"

"I haven't found one yet" replied Umbridge through gritted teeth.

Harry high-fived Evani behind her back. Umbridge could search for every counter-spell in the library. That jinx would not come off for a long time. Dawlish suggested that Evani could give testimony. Fudge basically threatened her to confess in order to avoid severe punishment. Evani crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced at Harry.

"Sorry, Harry. We have to tell them what we've been doing"

Harry shook his head at her. "That's right, Miss Rybek. Tell me" said Fudge.

"It was a secret meeting. We decided to worship an evil God of dark magic and he required that we perform a sacrifice every few weeks. It could be an animal, a child, or a virgin. Then, we bathed in the blood while we ate the flesh. In exchange, we would get power beyond our wildest dreams" she said with a straight face.

His eyes narrowed. "Do not play games. Do you know it is a crime to lie to your Minister?"

"Is it really? Then I probably should tell you that I want to screw you for hours while you tell me I'm a naughty girl" she replied, sarcastically.

Harry stifled a laugh. Fudge snarled.

"Insolent child"

"That just makes me want you more. I like being insulted. It gets me excited. Smack me a little and tell me I'm worthless"

McGonagall put her head against her hands. Umbridge looked furious.

"Quiet, Miss Rybek. I can take the story from here, Minister. You will remember the report I sent you in October that Potter met some students in the Hog's Head"

Some wizard named Willy Widdershins had been in the bar. He was the heavily bandaged man that Evani found suspicious. When he overheard the meeting, he told Umbridge at the castle. McGonagall's nostrils flared. She suggested that he got out of punishment for those regurgitating toilets because of him snitching to Umbridge. Evani scoffed.

"Nice how the justice system works here. Guess snitching is a better alternative than offering to hook up with you. That's a punishment no one should go through in their life"

Umbridge's stubby fingers dug into her palms. McGonagall shot Evani a warning look. One of the portraits spoke out in outrage at this corruption. Umbridge continued her story, explaining the reason for the meeting in Hogsmeade. When Umbridge called it illegal, Evani said she was wrong. Everyone turned to her.

"It wasn't illegal when we met. The decree banning those organizations wasn't made until two days after our meeting"

"Very true, but it has been six months since then. If that meeting was not illegal, the rest certainly were"

Dumbledore was the one to respond. "Yes, if there were in fact meetings after that initial one. Do you have any evidence?"

Umbridge brought up Marietta's testimony. Dumbledore countered that she only mentioned a meeting tonight. She did not give evidence of any previous meetings. Evani felt a light breeze pass by her. Marietta's eyes glazed over. She looked over at Kingsley, who put a finger to his lips. Umbridge turned to Marietta.

"Miss Edgecombe, tell us how long these meetings have been going on…just nod or shake your head. Have they been happening over the six months?"

As Marietta shook her head, Evani realized what spell Kingsley used. "I think you misunderstood. Have you been attending meetings for the past six months?"

Marietta did the same motion with her head. When McGonagall said that there were no meetings over the past six months, Marietta nodded.

"But there was a meeting tonight! You told me, Miss Edgecombe! Potter was the leader, Potter—why are you shaking your head, girl?"

"Normally, that gesture means no" said McGonagall, coldly.

Suddenly, Umbridge seized Marietta by the shoulders, shaking her. Dumbledore stood up, wand raised. There was a fire in his eyes. He warned her not to manhandle any students. Umbridge jumped back. Marietta stayed rooted to the same spot, still holding her sweater up to her eyes.

"Dolores, the meeting tonight" started Fudge.

"Yes, well I proceeded at once to the 7th floor with some trustworthy students to catch those in the meeting"

Evani was right that the Slytherins had been involved. She wondered if Draco had helped her with other things. It frustrated her that he would side with the toad. They were definitely going to have an argument later.

"They seemed to be warned of my arrival because they ran in every direction. But it's no matter. Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement to get evidence and it provided"

From the pocket of her cardigan, she took out the paper with all of their names on it. It was the paper that Evani hid in her room. Fudge glanced over it. His eyes widened.

"Good lord, see what they've named themselves. Dumbledore's Army?"

Dumbledore took the paper from Fudge. Harry looked guilty. To her confusion, Dumbledore smiled.

"Well the game is up. Would you like a written confession or will a statement before you suffice, Cornelius?"

"Statement? I don't"

"Dumbledore's Army. Not Potter's or Rybek's…"

Fudge took a horrified step back, getting his pants in the fireplace. He stamped out the fire.

"Y—you?"

Fudge accused Dumbledore of forming an army of students and plotting against him. Dumbledore agreed.

"NO!" shouted Harry.

Evani realized what Dumbledore was doing. To protect them, he would be taking the blame for the group. He wanted Fudge to think it was all his responsibility. Fudge looked delighted by this news.

"Well, I was coming here to expel Potter but instead"

"You get to arrest me. It's like losing a knut and finding a galleon, isn't it?" he asked, smiling.

"Weasley! Do you have this written down?"

Percy scanned his notes, scribbling fast. "Yes, sir, all of it"

Fudge told him to send a copy to the _Daily Prophet _to use for their morning edition. Percy left the office, quickly.

"Dumbledore, you will be escorted to the Ministry to be formally charged and sent to Azkaban to await trial"

Dumbledore continued to smile. "Yes, I thought we might hit this snag. You seem to labor under the delusion that I am going to _come quietly. _I am afraid that I have no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I can think a whole lot of things that I would rather be doing"

Umbridge's face became redder than a tomato. Fudge chuckled, finding Dumbledore's words funny. Dawlish moved towards the desk. Dumbledore told him that he was a brilliant man, getting an Outstanding in all of his NEWTs, but he would not hesitate to hurt him. Silently, Dawlish looked at Fudge for a clue of what to do. Fudge sneered at Dumbledore.

"So you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed?"

"Merlin's beard, no, not unless you are foolish enough to force me to"

"He will not be single-handed!" said McGonagall, reaching for her wand.

"Yes, he will, Minerva. Hogwarts need you" replied Dumbledore.

"Enough of this! Dawlish, Shacklebolt! Take him!"

A silver light flashed around the room, making the floor shake. She felt someone force her to the ground. Harry and Marietta were on either side of her. McGonagall crouched down behind them. Evani saw Fudge, Kingsley, Dawlish, and Umbridge all unconscious. Dumbledore walked over from his desk. Standing up, Evani brushed dust from her jeans.

"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too or it would look suspicious. Thank him for me, Minerva. He was quick to modify Miss Edgecombe's memory. They will awake soon. Act as though no time has passed"

"Where will you hide, Dumbledore?"

"Oh, I am not going into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he did not dislodge me from Hogwarts"

Harry tried to apologize for this whole mess. Dumbledore urged him to practice Occlumency diligently, emphasizing the need to block out bad dreams. He told him to close his mind. Harry was silent. Dumbledore gripped her shoulder.

"I know you still do not trust me, Evani. I admit that I have made many mistakes. I am aware of what happened in the library earlier. Once I am gone, you are to head straight to Professor Snape and tell him two words: draconis maledictio" he whispered in her ear.

Evani looked at him, confused. "Do not tell anyone else this. It is imperative that you do this not for me, but yourself. He will understand and I promise that everything will soon be clear"

Fawkes, his phoenix, flew overheard. As he grabbed its long golden tail, both vanished into thin air. The others began to stir. Fudge stood up, quickly. He questioned where Dumbledore went. Since apparating was prohibited in the castle, Dawlish assumed he had gone down the staircase. Only Fudge stayed behind.

"Well, Minerva, it seems this is the end for your friend Dumbledore"

McGonagall did not look the least bit intimidated. "You think so, do you?"

"You'd better get these children off to bed"

As they left the office, McGonagall told Evani and Harry to return to the Gryffindor common room while she escorted Marietta back. Evani waited for McGonagall to go down the staircase.

"I'll be back, Harry"

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry. Just tell the others what happened"

Evani headed for the dungeons. She entered Snape's office and heard water running. Loudly, she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Professor"

"Miss Rybek? What do you think you are doing?"

"I need to talk to you. You come out or I'm coming in there"

"I'm in the shower"

"So? Once you've seen one guy's naked body, you've pretty much seen them all. I won't be shocked by anything"

She turned the handle. The door opened. Snape was in the doorway, wearing a robe, with his hair still wet. He looked irritated. She had no idea why he was so angry. Out of the two of them, Evani got the worse end of this encounter. She did not want to see Snape almost naked. It was like the beginning of a nightmare.

"What on Earth could you need at this hour?"

"Dumbledore's gone. We were doing this secret group to learn proper defense"

"Excuse me?"

"Umbridge was teaching us nothing. We're not all idiots, blindly listening to Fudge. One of the kids blabbed to Umbridge and Dumbledore took the blame to protect us. Fudge tried to arrest him but he escaped. He told me to find you and tell you something"

"Tell me what?"

"Draconis maledictio"

Snape's eyes widened slightly. Flicking his wand, he changed into his usual robes. She waited for him to explain it to her. He went over to his desk and took out a small slip of paper. After a minute, he looked at her.

"We are going to start meeting every night"

"What? Why—tell me what's going on"

He pushed her towards his office door. "You wanted answers, didn't you, Rybek? To understand why Dumbledore kept secrets from you? Why you have those nightmares? Why your magic loses control? Why Seth was injured so badly after attacking you?"

"Yes" she said, eagerly.

"Then you will meet me here every night after dinner and eventually, you will get answers"

Before she could retort, he slammed the door in her face. She kicked it, angrily. Why did Snape have to taunt her like that? He could just tell her everything now. Frustrated, she returned to the common room…

* * *

**A/N: So as a little tease, I decided to give some details about something coming up within the next few chapters. It's going to be revealed that someone close to Evani is not who they seem and they have been tricking her for a long time. This character is going to be revealed as someone else that is unexpected, who we've been introduced to in the story, and that reveal will lead to more revelations about lies in Evani's past. This reveal is going to affect her other relationships, especially her relationship with Draco. It's going to happen at Hogwarts in a surprising way.  
**

**Thanks for reading :)  
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	59. Chapter 59: Confessions

-The next day- Evani woke up, seeing Harry's head in her lap. When she returned to the common room last night, she found him sleeping on the couch. Dumbledore's departure affected him the most. She could tell that he blamed himself. If he did not start the DA, Dumbledore would not have needed to protect him. Evani stayed with him in the common room. His glasses were askew, resting on the tip of his nose. She nudged his side. He bolted up.

"It's just me. Relax"

He rubbed his eyes. "I fell asleep down here?"

"Yea. I stayed with you when I got back. We should get ready for class"

"I don't think I want to"

"Harry, Dumbledore wouldn't want you to be a shut-in. You can't let Fudge break you. You always tell me to be strong so now I'm going to do the same for you"

He got up from the couch. She went into her room, seeing Ginny get out of bed. Ginny asked if Harry was doing okay. Evani told her that he just needed time. As they got dressed in the uniform, Emily and Spencer emerged from the bathroom. There were tiny silver pins on their robes, depicting the letter 'I'. They looked even more smug than usual.

"Hey Weasley, I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock you ten points"

"What are you talking about, Briggs? You're not a prefect"

"You're right but members of the Inquisitorial squad"

"Is that some stupid club you made up to learn what STDs you've contracted and who the father of your baby is?" retorted Evani.

Emily laughed. "That's cute, Rybek. It's a select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry, handpicked by Umbridge herself"

They tapped the silver pins. Evani had a good idea about the other members. She was sure that the Slytherins would be involved. Did Draco join this pathetic group? Ginny looked like she was waiting for a punchline to this joke. Umbridge just could not have enough power. She was now using students to spy on their peers. Emily took out a piece of parchment. It was a list of tasks that Ginny, Clare, and Evani would do for them. If they complied, Emily and Spencer would not dock more points. Evani was not going to be their little slave. Rolling her eyes, she left the room with Ginny. She stopped as they passed the noticeboard. A large sign had been posted, covering the other notices. It was like the day they learned about the decree that banned clubs at the castle. The sign read '_By Order of the Ministry of Magic. Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The above is in accordance with educational decree : Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic_'. Evani read over it multiple times, hoping she was hallucinating.

"Umbridge—is in charge?" said Ginny, turning pale.

"Of course it's her. Who else would Fudge pick? She's his lapdog"

They headed to the Great Hall. Kids whispered to eachother about the change, most sounding anxious. She heard some passing 3rd years mention that Umbridge tried to get into Dumbledore's office last night. The gargoyle statue sealed itself against her. It led to her having a bit of a temper tantrum. Ginny worried about Umbridge being in charge. There was now no limit to her power. She could fire teachers and ban from the castle. Both girls were sure that she would send away Dumbledore's closest supporters. As they reached the Great Hall, she spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie. The guys looked angry. They were arguing with Draco and the other 5th year Slytherins. Ron's cheeks turned the same color as his hair. Harry's fists clenched as Draco said something. She heard him dock points for not liking Harry. In the hour glasses for the houses outside the Great Hall, the stones were disappearing by the second. Only Slytherin had a lot of points. The other houses, especially Gryffindor, contained barely anything. Annoyed, Evani walked over to them. She was not going to let anyone bully her friends. Draco was smirking at Harry. His smirk faltered, seeing her. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's up?"

"Evie, we were just"

"Docking points for no reason" replied Harry, irritably.

"It's our job as the Inquisitorial s" started Blaise.

"Yea, I heard about your stupid gang. I think you should change the name. Umbridge's ass kissers is much more fitting. Shouldn't you be in her office, licking her shoes?"

Pansy glared. "You better respect us, Rybek. You're a filthy mudblood so fifty p"

Evani crinkled her nose slightly. Pansy's mouth vanished. Frantically, she touched her face. Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey freaked out. Hermione shot her a stern look. Evani reversed the hex. Pansy's face was back to normal. Her fists clenched.

"I'm going to report you to the Headmistress, Rybek! You're not getting away with this!"

"I'm shaking" she said, sarcastically.

Pansy and her clique walked away, sneering at her. Draco went to pull Evani aside. Harry moved in front of her, protectively. They glared daggers at each other.

"Get out of my way, Potter"

"There is no way you are talking to Evie with me around, Malfoy. You've got a better chance of becoming a Hungarian Horntail"

"That's not your decision"

Evani sighed. They started a heated argument. She did not even get a say. Within minutes, they were close to dueling. She noticed a black blur near the entrance courtyard. Not bothering to listen to another word of their childish fight, she went outside. Devon was waiting by a dragon statue. She smiled.

"Hey Devon. Please tell me you have good news. Last night was awful and this morning isn't much better"

"I do. I spoke with my friend in Paris and he gave me what you wanted"

He handed her a dozen photos. She looked through them.

"I'm curious as to why you wanted photos of him drinking vampire blood. Is this boy bothering you?"

"He was being a bit of a pain but he won't be now. Thank you for helping me"

Evani kissed his cheek. He told her to be careful with the photos. Vampire blood was a serious matter in the wizarding community. In the past, wizards used it to enhance their strength and magic. It was a highly addictive substance. Over the past ten years, the Ministries had made it illegal. If anyone was caught with it, they could face life in Azkaban. Some vampires used it to their advantage, secretly selling their blood for profit.

"If those photos don't get him to leave you alone, find me and I'll handle it"

Evani nodded. He headed back to Hogsmeade. She used a spell to transfer the photos to her phone. After writing a quick message, she sent a text containing the photos. Another text went to James, giving him a few instructions. She went into the Great Hall, sitting next to Serena. Harry was staring at his plate, purposely not looking at her.

"Are you done defending the weak, Superman?"

"You're not weak, Evie. I just…how can you still trust him? He's helping Umbridge"

"I can handle myself, Harry. I don't need you two to act like little kids and make decisions for me. I'll talk to him"

Fred and George asked if she wanted to help them with a special prank. They decided to cause a little chaos for the new Headmistress. Whatever they had planned, it was far from innocent. Hermione warned them about getting expelled. They did not seem to care. Fred and George were not interested in school like Hermione. They would rather focus on their joke products. George told them that the first part of their prank would start at lunch. Something hit the back of her head. Looking down, she saw a crumpled paper ball. She unfolded it under the table. There was a small message that read '_Please don't be mad. Let me explain_'. She recognized Draco's handwriting and wrote back to meet her in the empty classroom near the dungeons in five minutes. Waving her hand, she sent the paper back to him. Evani pretended to feel a bit ill and left the Great Hall. She waited in the empty classroom, sitting on the teacher's desk. Draco entered the room.

"Let's hear it. I swear if you say that you had no choice"

"I didn't"

"Draco!"

"It's the truth. My dad wanted me to gain Umbridge's trust. He said if I didn't help, he would hurt you"

"Did he say you have to be a jerk to Harry too?"

He groaned. "You know how it is with Potter. He's not a saint either. Did you hear how he talked? As if he had a say in what you did? I know you want us to get along but it's not going to happen. I'm being honest. I don't force you to be friends with Seth so you can't force me to like Potter"

"Fine, that's fair"

"If you don't kiss me right now, I'll dock fifty points from you"

She smiled and pulled him closer. As their lips touched, the door opened. There was a burly man in the doorway. He worked as one of the aurors in the American Ministry. Evani got down from the desk, warily. He entered the classroom.

"Evani Rybek?" he asked, acting like he did not know her.

"Yes…can I help you?"

"I need you to come with me to the American Ministry. We need to question you about the Bass case"

Draco looked at him, strangely. "Why? Evie has nothing to do with him"

"There's testimony that she was with Mr. Bass on the night of his disappearance and that they got into a car together. He wasn't seen after that"

"Then I'm coming too. You're not questioning her alone"

They followed him out of the castle. Draco kept his arm around her waist. He assured her that everything would be fine. On the outside, she looked anxious and scared. In actuality, she was not the least bit worried. Caleb warned her about this testimony the day after the charity event. He said that the aurors believed it without much proof because they sided with Bass. Since Bass wanted her, they disregarded the usual protocol. She planned a perfect defense. The auror apparated them to the Ministry. They entered the auror office. Bolton, the new head of the aurors, was standing with Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort. To her surprise, she saw her parents in the office. To say they looked furious would be an understatement. Voldemort had a slight smirk on his face.

"Hello Evani. I'm Head Auror Bolton. I just have a few questions for you. Since you're a minor, we needed your parents here"

He gave her a vial of veritaserum. It was to ensure her honesty. She drank the entire vial.

"Mr. Malfoy was visited by someone who claims they saw you with Declan Bass on the night he disappeared. Were you at the rights conference?"

"Yes, sir. My friend James invited me to go with him"

"This witness saw you and Mr. Bass speaking in an alley. Is this true?"

"Yes. We met when I was out with Draco. Mr. Bass cornered me in the bathroom and made some—advances towards me. When he saw me at the conference, he forced me outside during all that confusion and I told him to leave me alone. He said if I didn't listen to him, he'd hurt my family"

"You got into a car with him. Why?"

"I was protecting my family, sir. We were going to a motel so his wife couldn't find out"

Her mother looked ready to cry. Evani claimed that after giving him what he wanted, she returned to her home. Her father confirmed it, remembering that they stayed up late, watching movies.

"The witness said you were arguing. You make it sound like it was a casual chat" said Voldemort.

Evani knew he was trying to poke holes in her story. "Declan was deemed missing ten minutes after the conference. That was quite a short affair"

"Evani, I need the truth" said Bolton.

Someone waited outside the door. She nodded.

"I do have a confession"

"Evie" said her mother, worried.

"You just need to hear everything out, please"

"We will listen to every word, dear" said Voldemort.

"Gage, come in here"

The door opened. Gage entered the auror office. Everyone looked confused. Evani sighed.

"Tell them what you told me last night"

Gage confessed to sending the threat to Declan and kidnapping him. He told them that the threatening note had been an innocent message from Mr. Burke. Using magic, he changed the message. He framed Mr. Burke because he had promised Gage a good job offer but then it did not happen. Angry about losing the opportunity, Gage stacked the evidence against him, including replacing the video at the charity benefit. He lied about seeing Evani as payback for beating him in the _Wizard Battle _tournament and altered his memory to match his fake story. Bolton asked why he kidnapped Bass. Gage told him that he did not want the anti-rights law to pass because he started up his addiction to vampire blood again. If the vampires were imprisoned, he could not get any blood. He forced Bass to give that made-up speech at the conference and planned to hide him until the vote at the International Confederation passed. Mr. Malfoy scoffed.

"This is preposterous. Gage, you did not"

Gage took out a small bag and poured its contents onto a desk. She saw Declan's phone, credit cards, and wand. He told Bolton that Bass was at his family's summer home. Two aurors put handcuffs on Gage and confiscated his wand. He glanced at her, a flash of anger in his eyes. The aurors led him out of the office to be detained. Bolton apologized to Evani for questioning her. Her parents did not accept it. He took them into his private office. She could hear her father threatening to sue the Ministry.

"I'm going to wait outside for my parents" she whispered to Draco.

"Go ahead. I want to talk to my dad"

Evani left the office. She waited by the elevator. As she looked at her phone, she heard a low chuckle. Voldemort walked over to her. He would not hurt her in this public setting.

"I'm glad you were cleared, Mr. Burke. It would've been awful if you were wrongly convicted"

"You were very clever. How did you convince Gage to speak those lies?"

"Lies? Sir, I don't know why you're attacking me. We're both victims here. Gage clearly is suffering from this vampire blood addiction. Serena told me he has a history of it"

"He's not an important loss. It seems your plan failed"

"Did it? I never said I wanted you exposed. Maybe this whole game was just to show you I can easily make you squirm"

His eyes narrowed. She smirked.

"You say he's not important but he was the one ensuring that you get the vampires in England on your side. When they hear that he's a user of vampire blood, you'll lose that support. You're like a centipede. I rip off one leg and you'll be fine but a few more…you won't survive. So let me give you some advice. If you ever hurt any of my friends, especially Serena, I will personally guarantee that Seth will spend his life mistaking a toothbrush for a comb"

He lifted her up by her neck. She struggled to breathe. His arm began to rot like a corpse. He looked taken aback.

"You couldn't have enacted the curse this early. Impossible" he hissed.

What did he mean by a curse? Before she could get him to talk, her parents rushed over to them. Draco and his father were close behind. Her father separated them and shoved him. Voldemort's arm returned to normal. It reminded her of what happened to Seth when he hurt her.

"You do not put your hands on my daughter"

"Watch how you speak to me, muggle" he spat.

Glaring, her father got in his face. She worried about her father's temper. This was not some teenage guy harassing her. He needed to be careful.

"I know you work with this Declan Bass. I assume you're the one who calls the shots. Whatever it is you want with my daughter, you are going to stop. If you touch one hair on her head, I will make you very sorry" he hissed.

"Yes, I am very intimidated by a man who cannot do magic"

"I might not have magic but I have a million other ways to make you suffer"

Voldemort merely chuckled. Her mother glared.

"Find it funny all you want. Compared to me, my husband is like a kitten. If you mess with my children, I am like a hawk. My talons come out and I will scratch out your eyes and leave you for dead"

"I see where your daughter gets her confidence"

He went into the elevator with Mr. Malfoy. Draco tilted her chin up, using his wand to fix a small bruise on her neck. Watching them, her mother smiled.

"Sweetheart, you didn't tell me you have a boyfriend"

"Mom, he's—we're not…it's not like official…we..."

She struggled to find the right words.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Rybek. I'm Draco Malfoy"

"Oh, so this is him"

Evani was starting to feel embarassed. "Mom" she hissed.

Her father looked a bit wary. He never approved of any guy for Evani. It was like a trait in all fathers. No one could be good enough for their daughter. Her mother suggested that Draco come over for dinner. Before he could even accept, she said she would tell Evani the best time. She stared at the floor until her parents left. Draco looked at her.

"You told your mother about me?" he asked, curiously.

"It was during the summer. She wanted to know if I made any friends…you came up a few times. You don't have to do this dinner"

"I want to, Evie. It'll be great"

"You only get one first impression with my dad. I should warn you that he's really hard to impress"

"I think I can handle him"

She overheard Bolton say that they found Bass at the Greengrass summer house. Draco shook his head.

"I knew Gage was messed up but this is a whole different level"

"People can do crazy things. It's not his fault. I'm sure the vampire blood made him a bit unstable. He was under pressure too. Apparently, someone got photos of him using it and threatened to expose him"

"When did he see you? You said he told you last night"

"After Dumbledore left. I saw him outside the castle and he admitted that he gave that false statement against me to your dad. He said that he felt bad and warned me that the aurors might come to see me. He promised to confess. He said he's been on that blood for months and it's why he was so aggressive with me in the tournament"

"Well I knew you were innocent. Don't worry about Seth and Serena's dad. Gage was helping him with some work and I think he's angry that Gage framed him like that"

One of the aurors apparated them from the Ministry. They landed in Hogsmeade and headed for the castle…

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**Thanks for reading :)  
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	60. Chapter 60: The Dragon's Curse

They landed in Hogsmeade and headed for the castle. Evani thought about what happened when Voldemort attempted to hurt her. He seemed very surprised by it, saying that it was too early. Remembering what she had to tell Snape last night, she translated the two words in her head. It meant dragon's curse. The dragon mark never faded from her back. Was it connected to this curse? Draco snapped her out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

"Just thinking…"

"Lunch is almost over. We could get something to eat or"

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. It caused the floor to shake. Evani leaned against Draco to keep herself from falling. She had a feeling that this had to do with Fred and George's prank. A dragon made of green and gold sparks soared past her. It was not the only one. Hundreds of fireworks had been released all throughout the castle. Some spun around in wide circles while others had a trail of silver stars. The fireworks kept exploding on every floor. Kids ran away, screaming and trying to avoid the explosions. A sparkler wrote swear words towards Umbridge in mid-air. Evani giggled. Draco watched the pandemonium unfold. She elbowed his side.

"Come on, laugh. This is funny"

"This is the Weasley twins, isn't it?"

"Who else?"

Even after exploding, the fireworks did not stop. They just seemed to last forever, gaining more energy. Fred and George were hiding behind a statue near the Great Hall. They winked at her. Filch and Umbridge were standing at the top of the staircase, looking horrified. A firework shot towards them. Both ducked to the floor, nearly being hit. Evani watched the fireworks move in various patterns, using open doors to get onto the upper floors. Umbridge tried to stun the fireworks. Instead of freezing, it exploded with enough force to create a hole in a nearby painting. Alarmed, she told Filch not to use stunning spells. She did not seem to know that he was a squib, unable to do even a simple spell. Filch grabbed a broom to swat at the fireworks. Umbridge yelled for all of the students to get to class. Draco and Evani went up to the Transfiguration classroom. The professors did not seem to mind the fireworks. When one had slipped into the room, McGonagall told Lavender to inform Umbridge. During Charms, Flitwick got Umbridge to dispose of some sparklers. He said that he could have done it himself but was unsure if he had the proper authority. After ten minutes, Umbridge left the classroom, covered in soot and sweat. Umbridge's first day in charge of Hogwarts was eventful, to say the least. After dinner, Evani headed to Snape's office. He was sitting at a desk, glancing over papers. She stood in front of the desk.

"What's the dragon's curse?"

He glanced up at her. "You know Latin. Quite impressive"

"Cut the small talk. I want answers. If you can't give me them, I'll find them myself"

Snape conjured a chair. She sat down, arms crossed.

"Do you know what your problem is, Rybek? You don't think before you speak…which is exactly why you get into certain situations like the Dark Lord almost choking you to death. Your overconfidence will be your undoing"

"He wouldn't. He wants me. I'm too valuable"

"That you are"

"Are you going to give me answers or not?"

He put the papers away into a drawer. Going over to a bookshelf, he took out two books. One was a large leather-bound book, bigger than her head. It had at least a thousand pages. He dropped it on the desk with a thud. The cover had the words '_Libro Secretorum_' in golden writing. He told her to open it. The book had a lock on the side. When she asked for the key, he replied that she had it. She looked at the lock. There was an engraving of a crescent moon. Curiously, she touched the lock. Her birthmark on her wrist darkened, the same happening to the engraving. The lock vanished and the book fell open. He sat down in front of her.

"I was able to get these from Dumbledore's office without Umbridge knowing. Dumbledore was supposed to be the one to speak with you about this but after your…disagreement and his recent departure, that task is up to me. Everything we will discuss is the truth, Evani"

"How do I know that?"

"If at any time you do not believe me, you can read my mind to search for any lies. This book was written during the beginnings of magic in ancient times. It has been passed down through the centuries since the Middle Ages and 70 years ago, it was entrusted to Dumbledore. The book has not been opened since the 1500s"

"I just opened it"

"Yes, you did. When Dumbledore first received the book, it was near pieces and there was no writing on the cover…until a little over 14 years ago on July 7, 1998"

Evani looked at him, surprised. It was the same date as her birthday. Snape said that on that day, Dumbledore had been sitting in his office when the book began to change into its current appearance. The engraving on the lock had a bright glow that lasted the entire day. She asked what caused the change.

"Your birth. Dumbledore has been aware of you since you were born, Evani. He searched all over the world for a magical child born on that day on the very hour that the change occurred. Your birth is not coincidence. You were born on the most magical day at the magical hour. The reason you can open this book is because it was written by your ancestors"

"My family isn't magical"

"Muggleborns are descended from a pureblood line. At some point, a squib was born, leading to generations of non-magical descendants until it reappears. Your family's situation is a bit different. Do you know the Pendragons?"

"What, like King Arthur?"

"That is the muggle version, yes. The Pendragons were the originators of magic. All pureblood lines descend from them. The Pendragons would choose their partner in life and give them magic, making them a witch or wizard. They balanced both light and dark within them. The Pendragons were very similar to you, having highly advanced magical abilities. They were royalty in the wizarding world since its inception"

Snape continued to explain the Pendragon family. The wizarding world used to be controlled by a single kingdom, run by the Pendragons. Romanian Razortails were their prized pets and could only be bred and controlled by them. The family even used a special language to command the dragons. To better help wizards on a smaller scale, they created the Ministries. Over time, the Ministries became consumed with power. They wanted more control and decided to turn the public against the family. Lies spread to discredit them, leading to resentment. One night, in the mid-1300s, the Ministries joined together in revolt. The large numbers proved too much to handle. The Pendragons were all stripped of their magic and imprisoned, some murdered by the Ministries. They had their magic taken away to ensure only muggles would be in the family. She thought back to one of her dreams where she saw a battle in a medieval setting. It must have been related to this rebellion. With the takeover, the Ministry in each country then had sole control over its people. Orion Balin Pendragon, the king at the time, was able to save the tiniest bit of magic in his youngest son, just barely a year old. He sent one of the servants to hide him and raise him in secret. Right before he was killed, Orion warned them that their bloodline would survive. The rumors spread that a magical child could be born with the Pendragon magic.

"And you think…that's me?"

"Yes. The Pendragons wrote this book. It is said to be filled with spells and a magic that only they are able to use. Many purebloods claim to be Pendragons who changed their surname but it's a lie. They use the claim to seem more important"

"I still don't see how this is me. Just because a book"

"It's more than the book. Everard Grimm prophesized it. Molly Weasley went to Dumbledore after your encounter with him in Diagon Alley. Grimm prophesized you being attacked by Declan. He did not know your name, only your face. After repeat viewings, he was able to get your initials…ER. Grimm and Dumbledore are old friends. Only Dumbledore and the other Oracles were made aware of this prophecy. He did not mean to scare you at the bookstore. Seeing you in person was something he's wanted for centuries. He hid it in the form of a child's tale for protection. If the Ministries learned of his vision, they would hunt the child down and kill them. If other wizards learned of it, they would want the child for themselves and be corrupted by their power. He trusted Dumbledore to not fall for that allure…but I'm afraid he did. Dumbledore kept that prophecy a secret for decades but someone did learn of it"

"Voldemort"

Snape nodded. He told her how Voldemort learned about the prophecy. In his 5th year, he was on his way to becoming a dark wizard. His closest friends even began calling him Voldemort in private. He learned of the Pendragons and became obsessed with having that kind of power. One day, he had been helping the previous headmaster with some tasks. While Dumbledore spoke with the headmaster, Voldemort waited in the Transfiguration classroom and found Grimm's fairytale book on Dumbledore's desk. It was opened to the story of Snow White with notes about the prophecy in the margins. He figured out what it meant and began to search for this ER, knowing they were a witch. Snape said that the search proved difficult since all Pendragons lacked the Trace, which explained why Evani could always use her magic without getting caught. A few nights before Voldemort attacked the Potters, a spy within the school eavesdropped on a meeting between Grimm and Dumbledore. Grimm warned him to protect Evani at all costs. The spy gave Voldemort the name and he told Declan to snatch her, aware that she lived in the states. Declan did not complete the task because of Voldemort's defeat. He got distracted with covering up his connections to the death eaters and the stress caused him to forget her name.

"Dumbledore thought it was best for you to not know this prophecy concerned you. He did not want to raise Declan's suspicions by showing up at a muggle home in the states"

"It's not like I would run around screaming about it"

"You do not need to say it. You have identifying marks"

Snape opened the second book. The page had a depiction of a crescent moon and a dragon, exactly like the one on her back. He explained that a Pendragon had these two marks. The crescent moon mark was there from birth. All Pendragons, even the muggle descendants, had it. The dragon mark was the symbol of a Pendragon witch or wizard. It formed when the dragon's curse had been enacted. The curse started in the 1000s. Annette Pendragon had been cursed by a dark wizard after she rejected his love. It forced her to choose between light and dark magic. Her descendants faced the same fate. Around their 17th birthday, they would be struck by the curse and had to make their choice within a certain amount of time. Most Pendragons were swayed to dark magic. The wizard who cursed Annette did not want her to be harmed by anyone since he still loved her. For that reason, part of the curse prevented a Pendragon from being injured, only dying of natural causes or by their own hand. This allowed them to live very long lives. If they were harmed after receiving their mark, the attacker would suffer terrible consequences. Evani now understood why Seth was so badly injured.

"Is this why I'm having these nightmares? My magic going all weird?"

"Yes. It is the darkness and light inside you, fighting for dominance. The nightmares are your darkness"

"When does it stop?"

"When you make a choice. I have no certain date of when that will happen. It is why Dumbledore put you in that therapy. He wanted to fight against the darkness. He had become so obsessed with keeping you good that he lost sight of protecting you"

Hearing all this, Evani now felt terrible for how she treated Dumbledore. None of this was his fault. Dumbledore had been trying to help her but got corrupted by seeing her abilities. He was not perfect. She asked why her mark had come so early, noting how even Voldemort looked surprised by the curse working. Snape did not have an answer for her. All he knew was that the mark usually took full form at age 17. He told her these meetings would be about learning to control her magic since her abilities went much farther than the usual limits at her age. Unlike most wizards, her magic seemed to grow by the day. Snape remarked that her magic was tied to her emotions. He urged her to keep calm and not give into anger or sadness. With the curse enacted, it could cause trouble and he did not want Umbridge getting suspicious. He shrunk the Pendragon book and gave it to her, telling her to keep it hidden. She left Snape's office and returned to the common room. Everyone was still awake, celebrating Fred and George's prank. She sat next to Harry.

"Where have you been? What's wrong?"

Evani leaned on his shoulder. "I was really mean to Dumbledore without knowing why he said those things. I wish he was here"

"Me too. What did you find out?"

"A lot…I'm still trying to understand it all"

She spent the rest of the night in the common room, drinking butterbeers and watching Fred and George show off their joke products…

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**A/N: So that was a lot of information at once. I wanted a thorough background to explain Evani's abilities that wasn't just "Oh, you're a random witch. You get to be super powerful". Her abilities are linked to her ancestors and all that magic comes at a price, which is this curse. Now that Evani knows about it, the story's going to focus on what she will choose, light or dark. I used the background to tie in a lot of previous plots, such as why Dumbledore wanted her at Hogwarts, his notes in her therapy file about her behavior, Voldemort's interest in her, the nightmares, Seth's injuries, the dragon mark on her back, why she was able to hatch the dragon egg, why Grimm freaked out on her when they met, and the prophecy that he mentioned to her in Diagon Alley. With the curse, it's a Dumbledore vs Voldemort scenario where each wants her to choose their side. Dumbledore wants her to maintain her innocence while Voldemort wants her to embrace her inner darkness. Her friends are going to play an important role in that decision. Even if it might seem that she would choose to stay light, there is a lot of darkness in her, shown by her manipulative schemes, and Voldemort could just as easily win her over. It's important to remember that she's still just a teenage girl so she's impressionable.**

**Thanks for reading :) **


	61. Chapter 61: Revelations

-The next day- Evani was sitting on the bed in the spare room with Ash. He had grown a lot in the past few months, now as big as a medium-sized dog. She needed to keep him well-hidden with invisibility charms. Due to his size, he stayed in the spare room of the girls' dormitory. No one ever went in there so it was safe. Shadow acted as a guard, keeping Ash quiet and calm. As Ash charred his meat, she looked through the dragon journal. She wondered if the writer '_OBP_' was Orion Pendragon himself. The journal took on a whole new meaning for her. It was a connection to the magical side of her family. She got distracted by her phone vibrating. It reminded her that it was now almost 6. Her mother arranged for them to have dinner back in Texas. Evani shrunk her dress and heels and put them in her bag. Ash let out a loud screech.

"Shh. Ash, I'll be back tonight. You need to stay in here. Play with Shadow"

She walked to the Slytherin common room. When she reached Draco's room, she knocked on the door. It swung open. Blaise was in front of her.

"Good, you're here. Just to warn you…he says he's not freaking out but he is"

She entered the room. Draco's bed was littered with shirts, pants, suits, and socks. He kept tossing out random clothing. Crabbe and Goyle watched him. She nodded her head towards the door. They left the room so it was just her and Draco. Evani told him not to freak out about the dinner. He blamed Serena for getting in his head. She sat on the bed.

"Just relax. You're meeting my dad, not a dementor"

"I've never done this kind of thing before. I mean, I've had dinners with parents before but I've known them for years. When Pansy and I were engaged, I had dinner at her house but her dad is like an uncle to me. It's not the same"

Draco started to put on a shirt. She bit her lip, telling him that her father hated the color black. He took the shirt off and threw all of his black shirts into his drawer. She laughed, assuring him it was just a joke. Looking through his clothes, she gave him a pair of black dress pants and a dark blue button-down shirt. She used a spell to put on her dress and heels. The dress was long-sleeved, stopping at mid-thigh, with a lace design. She changed the color to match Draco's shirt. He was looking at himself in the mirror, fixing his hair. She kissed his cheek.

"Just be yourself. They'll love you"

From her bag, she took out a candy wrapper. She had turned it into a portkey earlier this morning. When they grabbed it, they were transported to her home in Texas. Draco's eyes widened. He commented on it being almost as big as Hogwarts.

"Draco, I told you we're rich"

"I know, but…you make my house look like nothing"

"It's just a house. Don't be nervous. I'll be with you the whole time"

She brought him inside. A heavily muscular man, over seven feet tall, stood by the doorway. She rolled her eyes. Her father was already starting with his intimidation tactics. He would have Robert, one of their bodyguards, stand near the front of the house. His imposing appearance scared most people. Robert looked threatening but was like a big teddy bear. She smiled.

"Hi Robert"

"Miss Rybek"

"Really? He has you doing that too. Don't fall for it, Draco. He's a big softy"

Draco looked over his muscular frame. "Or part giant" he whispered.

"What did you say, boy?"

Evani smacked Robert's chest. He chuckled. Her mother walked over to them, smiling. She glanced over at Robert and sighed.

"Oh Brice, honestly. Robert, you should be focusing on actual threats, not teenage boys. Come on, you two. Dinner's almost ready"

"I just want to thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Rybek. You look lovely"

"Aren't you sweet?"

Her mother brought them to the dining room. Evani could tell that she planned an elaborate meal. Her father and Jayce were already at the table. She worried a little about Jayce. When she used to bring guys over, they were still in that hateful relationship. He would try to embarrass her or ask the guys rude questions. Things had changed so much. He was acting like an actual older brother, sizing up Draco. Her father had a similar expression on his face. Draco shook their hands. Her father practically tried to crush his fingers. Draco sat beside her at the table, with Jayce across from him. Her mother asked about his family. Draco told them that his parents were both wizards, coming from a long line of magic. He came from such a different background to Evani. While he grew up around wizards and magic, she had to learn it all on her own. He mentioned that his father advised at the British Ministry while his mother stayed at home.

"Evie said that you own your company, sir" he said to her father.

"Yes. I run clubs, hotels, restaurants. Loren owns a fashion line that she inherited from her mother"

"Wow. You must get really busy"

"We're not the idle sort. Our family is all about pursuing success"

The food was brought into the dining room. As they ate, her father kept asking Draco questions. She held Draco's hand under the table to keep him calm. Her mother definitely liked Draco. It was just harder to impress her father. He talked about being on the quidditch team. Evani noticed Jayce shooting him these small glares. She got up from the table, helping her mother with dessert…

~Draco~

This night was the most nerve-wracking of his life. Draco had not been anxious when he attended his first death eater meeting with Voldemort. He really wanted to impress her parents. She came from an amazing family. They literally seemed perfect. It made him question why Evani even liked him. Draco could never live up to those standards. He wondered how she did not crack under pressure. Their attitude of being the best definitely influenced her. It explained a lot about her personality and her tendency to bottle up her emotions. He hoped that he was making a good impression. Even though Evani claimed that her parents liked him, he did not want to assume anything. He wanted to prove how much he cared for her. She was in the kitchen with her mother. Her father left to make a quick a business call. Draco was alone in the dining room with her older brother Jayce. Evani told him all kinds of stories about her brother. In the past, he acted even worse than Seth did to Serena. They had a very hostile relationship. While Evani was the perfect child, he was the slacker. It made him resent her since she always received praise from her parents and others. Recently, they had been trying to repair their relationship. It was a bit awkward to be alone with him. The last time he saw Jayce, Seth almost killed him. He worried that Jayce might mention that to his father.

"So um…Evie said you're into sports too. Are you"

"You're not dating my sister. I'm not letting that happen"

"Jayce, if this is about what my friend did to you, I…I tried to stop him. Trust me, he got payback for it"

"It has nothing to do with that. I know your dad"

Draco looked at him, confused. How could Jayce know his father?

"He's friends with Bass. I know they work for that lunatic. I overheard them talking. If this is a scheme to give my sister to him"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Don't play dumb. You know all about it. How Bass kidnapped her for that Dark Lord psycho. I'll admit I played a part in it happening but I've been making up for it. It's because of him that she had to go to that dumb school instead of being here with her family. It's been months and my mom still cries every night, worried that she won't come back"

Draco's eyes widened slightly. He never heard any of this. Evani claimed that she went to Hogwarts because her father was doing hotel construction in England so they moved into one of their homes nearby. She always said how he did not want to mess with her education so they transferred her from Merlin Academy. He thought back to the conversations he saw between her and Voldemort. That whole deal with him now made sense. At first, he assumed it was to get Evani away from Serena. It had actually been his way of knowing her every move. Hearing all this made him worried. Draco had no idea what he could want with a teenage muggleborn witch. Before he could question Jayce more, everyone returned. He was quiet through most of dessert. After saying goodbye and agreeing to come over again, they went back to the castle…

~Evani~

Evani and Draco had just returned to the castle. Draco had been a bit quiet during dessert. Hopefully, her father did not scare him. She smiled.

"My dad really liked you"

"He did?"

"He just won't admit it. I could tell by his eyes"

She kissed him softly. His arm wrapped around her, lifting her up against the wall. She giggled. They were interrupted by a loud cough. She saw some 6th year. He was a Hufflepuff prefect and tended to be a bit uptight.

"It's past curfew. You should be in your common room"

"We lost track of time"

"I know you think you're a bigshot, Malfoy, but the royal prat even needs to follow the rules"

Evani glared. "Don't talk about my boyfriend like that! Go away or I'll tell your girlfriend about you and that 4th year kissing in the Three Broomsticks"

He blushed and headed down the corridor. Draco looked at her, surprised.

"You called me your boyfriend. You've never…"

"You were really great with my parents tonight and I think it's been enough time. Let's make it official"

He smiled. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "Meet me in the spare room on the girls' side in the Gryffindor common room in ten minutes. It's late so everyone's probably asleep. There might be a very special surprise"

"I like surprises"

Evani headed up to the room. She changed out of her dress and into a black babydoll chemise. Looking in the mirror, she tousled her hair a bit. She re-applied her lip gloss. As she checked over her appearance, one of those stupid little notes appeared on the bed. She picked it up. It read '_I see you_'. Rolling her eyes, she tore it into pieces. She threw the pieces on top of the dresser. Some creep was not going to ruin this for her. Turning off the light, she waited for Draco. She heard the door open.

"When you find me, I'll turn on the light. You're going to like it" she teased.

His hands rested on her hips. He kissed her neck. She smiled, melting into it. His hands slid down to inner thighs. Crinkling her nose, she put on the light. Evani turned around to see Lukas. She stepped back. His eyes rested on her chest.

"Lukas, what the hell are you doing?"

"Expecting someone more blonde? He got a little sleepy"

"Get out of here"

He picked up the torn note on her dresser. "It's rude not to reply to messages"

She looked at him, confused. Lukas had been the one to send those notes?

"You sent—why?"

"Because I know you better than anyone. I wanted you to freak out and leave Hogwarts but…it didn't work out"

"What? Get out now. I'll scream"

"I soundproofed the room with a charm. No one'll hear you. I'm not going to let that little snot manipulate you. He doesn't care about you, Evani. He's like every other guy. Once he gets what he want, he'll dump you like trash. You're confused"

"The only confused person here is you. I don't know why you're acting so crazy but I'm not putting up with it"

"You just don't want to admit that you're still in love with someone and you can never love anyone else. That person's right in front of you"

Lukas was sounding insane. He made no sense at all. Evani headed for the door. He grabbed her and threw her onto the bed roughly. Her head slammed down on the mattress hard. She felt dizzy. He climbed on top of her. She tried to push him away. Her hand pressed against his face. That blinding white light emerged from her hand. He fell off of her, clutching his face. As he stood up, her eyes widened. Alec was in front of her. She could feel her whole body shaking. How could he be in the room? Lukas was just there. He noticed himself in the mirror. She closed her eyes tightly. This had to be a nightmare. His hand cupped her cheek.

"Look at me. Please don't be scared. I would never hurt you"

She opened her eyes, still seeing Alec. "Y—you're a—wizard" she whispered.

"Evani"

"You're a wizard! You piece of shit!"

The entire time they had been together, Alec never showed any sign of magic. She trusted him enough to be honest about her abilities. He acted all amazed. Evani was feeling a mixture of anger and fear. She wanted to strangle him for lying to her. The other part of her was scared. She did not want to be alone with him.

"Baby, I can explain. Just listen to everything I have to say. I am a wizard…but when we met, I couldn't use magic. My dad punished me by binding my magic so that I was like a muggle. He said he would undo the spell if I got to know you"

Alec said that his father forced him to date her. The intention was to give him information about her and eventually help him kidnap her. Alec swore that he refused to do it when he started to have feelings for her. He insisted that he never lied about loving her and that she meant more to him than magic. Their relationship was all fake. He had set everything up from their first meeting. She could not believe that he deceived her. Thinking about his father, she realized something. It felt like her heart was physically breaking.

"You tricked me, Alec…you both…you knew what I was…about others like me and you just—you and him…"

"Evani"

"You're Declan's son"

Alec nodded. "He had an affair with my mom. I didn't see him that much. He would pay her off to keep quiet about it so his wife would never know. I was just kicked out of Merlin Academy and he threatened to stop giving my mom money. He knew that I had seen you in town before. I always wanted to talk to you but I knew you wouldn't like me. I was one crime away from Blackgate and kicked out of three wizarding schools…you were this beautiful, popular girl. He didn't tell me about the kidnapping at first. That's why I came to your room after killing those muggles. I was going to have us run away…from him, from everything. The charm wore off during the summer and I got my magic back"

"Where's Lukas?"

"You never knew him. I snuck out of the detention center over the summer, a month after you had disappeared. I heard my dad say you were going to Hogwarts so I needed a way to get there too. I followed you to Diagon Alley but you were with that Weasley woman. I noticed Lukas outside the bookstore. He was perfect. He was sweet and well-liked…you'd easily trust him, especially since he was muggleborn. So I found his home and I killed his family. The wizarding world wouldn't care. I took his memories so I knew how to act with certain people. I left a copy of myself at the detention center and came here. I went back a few times in case my dad got suspicious but I got to be here with you"

Evani stared at him. Alec had killed an innocent family. The real Lukas was dead. This entire time, it had been Alec. She could not even think properly. He smiled.

"I'm here for you now. You don't have to pretend with that Malfoy brat. We can leave tonight and go anywhere"

"N—no. I don't...I want you out of my life"

"You don't mean that. You love me"

"Everything was a lie. You manipulated me from the start! You're just like your father! Get out!"

"You just need time to understand. I'm not giving up. Sleep on it and we can talk later"

Alec kissed her. He turned into an owl and flew out the window. Evani put on a pair of sweatpants and went down to the common room. She stared into the fireplace. Tears streamed down her face. She heard the portrait open.

"Evie, I'm sorry. I somehow passed out and I woke up in a broom cupboard. Why are you crying?"

She started to sob hysterically. Draco sat beside her on the couch, rubbing her back. Her whole body was in pain. She had never felt like this before. As he put his arm around her, she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Talk to me. It's just us. You know you can tell me anything"

"Everything's a lie. I don't even know what's real anymore. It's just lie after lie after lie! I can't take it. It hurts. Make it stop"

Flames shot up in the fireplace, nearly falling onto the carpet. He told her to relax. Evani continued crying. Everything in her head was jumbled. She spoke incoherently. He took her out of the common room. As they walked, the stairs shook violently, paintings fell from the walls, and vases shattered. Draco knocked on a door.

"Draco, what are you doing here at this—what happened?"

"I was meeting her and I found her like this. I need you to help"

He led her into the room. It was Snape's office. She dropped to her knees, crying even harder if possible. Draco stayed by her side. Snape bent down to her.

"Evani, look at me"

She glanced up. His wand tapped her forehead, knocking her out…

~Draco~

Draco was holding onto an unconscious Evani in Snape's office. Not even an hour ago, someone knocked him out. He remembered heading towards the Gryffindor common room and then everything went black. As he woke up, he found himself in one of the broom cupboards. He thought it had been the prefect that Evani insulted. When he went to the common room, he could not wait to see her. Everything was going perfect. She wanted to be officially dating and called him her boyfriend. Just hearing those words made him happy. Draco did not expect to find her in complete hysterics. Evani was crying uncontrollably, saying that everything had been a lie and she was hurting. He worried when the fireplace flared up, knowing it must be her magic. Snape was the only professor he trusted. He went to him to help Evani. Draco laid her down on the couch. Tears trickled down her face. She moved from side to side, crying. It was killing him to see her like this. Draco wanted to help somehow but could not think of anything.

"Why is she like this? She was fine and then"

"You were with her the entire time?"

"No. I was going to meet her but I got knocked out by someone. I didn't see who"

"She's in a great deal of pain"

"I know why she's here. I know what happened over the summer. How could you not say anything?"

"It wasn't my place. Do not mention it to her. Let her speak of it on her own terms"

"What if it was _him_? Maybe he got in her head or"

Snape did not think it was caused by Voldemort. He said that she experienced a large emotional trauma, which extended to physical pain. Draco did not know what could hurt her this bad. Snape placed his wand on the side of her head. He was trying to access her recent memories. A mist formed above her. It showed an image of Evani, looking scared. There was a guy with dark hair on the bed with her. He did not look familiar. Both of them spoke in the memory but nothing could be heard. Evani had a mix of anger and pain on her face. Snape enhanced the memory, getting some words out.

"You tricked me, Alec"

His eyes widened. This was her ex-boyfriend. How could he be in the castle? Evani said he was just a muggle.

"You both…you knew what I was…about others like me and you just—you and him…"

The dialogue started to cut off. "Declan's son"

Draco had met Declan's children before. His oldest son was only 11. He figured that Alec had been from some affair. In an instant, the memory vanished. Draco looked at Snape. Both seemed to understand what happened to Evani. It was bad enough that Alec lied about being a wizard but he was also the son of a man who tormented her. Draco knew that part of her still loved him. Evani had her heart completely smashed. Everything about their relationship was lies and possibly planned by Declan. His fists clenched. He was going to find Alec and make him suffer. Snape poured a potion into her mouth to calm her down. Draco sat near the couch, promising to help her...

* * *

**A/N: This was the big reveal that I mentioned. I put subtle hints in earlier chapters like Lukas's sudden anger towards her and Alec knowing private information regarding his trial that she only mentioned at Hogwarts. Lukas's change in personality started around the same time that Evani was getting closer to Draco because Alec did not want her to be with anyone but him. Alec is so in love with Evani to the point that he will do anything to be with her. Though their relationship was forced, he did fall for her very hard and he can't stand it that another guy can make her happy. Draco and Alec are going to have a big confrontation. Alec sees him as an obstacle to winning Evani back and there's no limit to what he might do to get him out of the way. I picked this secret to be something that finally destroyed Evani emotionally. Evani had been in love with Alec and trusted him more than anyone else. To find out he was with her under false intentions and he has a relation to Bass, it is a huge emotional blow. It's going to affect her and her ability to trust people, even her close friends. Learning that this important part of her life had been a lie will make her question if anything else in her past has been planned and manipulated.  
**

**Thanks for reading. Review! :)**


	62. Chapter 62: Three Words, Eight Letters

-Three days later- Ever since learning about Alec's deception, Evani felt completely broken. She could not stop the pain, especially in her heart. It made her doubt that she could trust anyone in her life. Everyone just seemed to be lying to her in some way. The fact that he could easily impersonate a student here, to the point that their friends saw nothing suspicious, scared her. She became paranoid that he could have been other people besides Lukas. It made her question her sanity. A few days ago, she heard kids talking about Lukas. Some girl said that he left the school due to a tragedy in his family. Evani knew the truth. With Alec gone, there needed to be a good excuse for Lukas's disappearance. Snape kept her in his office for her protection, not allowing her friends to see her. He worried about her magic spiraling out of control in her highly emotional state. Draco stayed with her, skipping classes. Neither of them would talk. She just spent the entire time crying while he tried to comfort her. With this lie, everything came crashing down. She was unsure if she could recover from it. It all just seemed to be too much. A small part of her wanted it all to permanently end.

She was laying on the couch in the room that Snape set up, staring at the bare wall. Draco entered the room. He had a tray filled with various foods. Placing it on the table, he kissed her cheek.

"Hey. Why don't you try to eat something? You've barely eaten since…just try"

She was quiet, blinking back tears. He grabbed a piece of toast.

"Evie, please. I don't want you to get sick"

Reluctantly, she took the toast. She sat up, eating a small piece. He poured her a glass of water. They sat together in silence. Draco rested his hand over hers.

"Snape says we shouldn't talk about it but I can't stand you being like this. Jayce told me the truth… about Declan trying to kidnap you because Voldemort wants you for some reason. I know you're like this because you saw Alec. Tell me what happened"

Evani told him about Alec's lie. As she spoke, her voice kept cracking. She explained how Declan forced Alec to be with her so that Alec could use his magic again. Draco questioned how he got into the castle. When she told him the truth about Lukas, he looked shocked.

"He killed—he's been Lukas this entire time?"

She nodded. "I'm so stupid"

"Evie, you're n"

"I should have known it was him. I should have known something was weird about Lukas when he started getting angry with me…after he heard about us. When I went to visit Alec, he knew that I was supposed to testify against him and it was a secret. I only mentioned it here"

Draco insisted that she could not have seen through Alec's act. She never met Lukas before this year. He said it just proved Alec was a good actor. All this time, he tricked Lukas's close friends and even the professors. She wiped at her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheek.

"I just can't…how am I supposed to—I don't—I can't even"

Draco gripped her hand. "You're making it worse. You can't blame yourself"

"Maybe you're tricking me too. Maybe us meeting at the training center was all set up"

"You know that's not true"

"I don't know that. You could just be waiting for the right time to hand me over. I mean, Alec and I were dating for months and we…he was my…he would've sold me out to Declan just for magic"

She started to speak rapidly. Draco tried to assuage her fears. She accused him of using her to prove himself to Voldemort. He cupped her face in his hands.

"You could be"

"I am not lying to you! My feelings for you are real. I'll prove it"

"You can't"

"Three words, eight letters. I love you"

Her eyes widened. There was a soft tone to his voice. He looked serious.

"That's the difference between me and that coward. He might've said it but he didn't mean it. If he did, he wouldn't have manipulated you and hurt you like this. Voldemort could offer me all of the power in the world and I would choose you. I'll always choose you"

Evani kissed him. After a few minutes, she pulled away. His eyes were still closed and his lips continued to move. She let out a tiny laugh. He caressed her cheek.

"I missed that laugh. I don't want you to be sad anymore, okay?"

"Just don't lie to me ever"

"I won't. Get dressed"

"Why?"

"We're going out. We're going to visit someone to get help"

Evani conjured some clothes and got dressed. She put on her coat and brushed her hair. Draco opened a drawer in Snape's desk, taking out a portkey. It was in the shape of an old can. As they held onto it, they landed in front of the American Ministry. Draco brought her inside. They headed up to the top floor. She thought that he wanted to tell the aurors about Alec. Instead, he walked towards Bass's office. He opened the door. Bass was standing by a filing cabinet, leaning against a cane. His back had slowly healed but he still needed some support when walking.

"And to what do I owe this visit? Are we here to break some more bones?" he asked her.

Draco kept Evani behind him. "Don't talk to her. The conversation we're about to have is between you and me"

"I don't have time for teenage nonsense"

"You're going to listen to me, you pathetic slime. This is about your son…Alec"

Bass tensed up. He acted like he did not know Alec. Evani doubted he would be any help. Their whole relationship was his plan from the start. He would never care if she suffered. Draco called him a liar and said they were staying here until Bass agreed to talk. Angered by his words, Bass slammed the cabinet shut.

"Why does it concern you? The boy made his own grave. He was careless and now he's going to rot in a muggle prison because he let his feelings control him. He's disturbed. I took his magic for a reason"

"Well he hasn't been there since at least September"

Bass looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Alec escaped. He killed a muggle family where one of the kids is a student at Hogwarts. He posed as the student and he's been there the whole time. I know you don't care that he almost hurt Evie"

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"You're going to find him and keep him the hell away from her. If you don't, we'll go to the aurors and tell him all about your scheme. How you took away his magic and forced him to get close to her. Evie's proof enough. She has memories of their conversation. Add the fact that he's your son from an affair and it'll make your reputation go down because he's completely mental, killed a bunch of muggles, and trespassed into Hogwarts. Maybe we won't go to the aurors. We'll just go to your wife then you'll lose everything in the divorce and you'll still hit rock-bottom"

They glared at each other. Bass scowled.

"Who else knows about Alec?"

"Just Snape"

"Keep it that way. I will find him and handle it myself. Draco, I suggest you don't go anywhere alone. My son has a slight obsession with her…and I'm sure your—relationship will not please him. He's quite adept at hiding so I would keep your guard up"

"Don't worry about me. I'd worry about yourself if you don't get him. You're not exactly in the best shape to duel right now"

Evani never saw Draco this assertive. She found it really attractive. They left the Ministry. She asked if it was smart to trust Bass. Draco assured her that he would find Alec. Bass cared too much about his power as Minister. He would not have that ruined by a reckless son. They used the portkey, landing just outside Hogsmeade. He checked his watch.

"Potions is just starting. We could go"

"I don't think so"

She took him up to her room. It was empty since everyone else was in class. There would be no chance of someone returning for at least an hour. She shut the door behind her.

"What are we doing here?"

"You never got your surprise because of what happened. You're going to get it now"

Evani made him sit on the bed and told him to close his eyes. She crinkled her nose. Her outfit changed into her chemise from a few nights ago.

"There are a few rules. You can't touch me or yourself…but I can touch you"

He chuckled. "Okay. I think I can do that"

"You can look"

Draco opened his eyes. His jaw fell slightly. She smiled, seeing him speechless. He asked if they could change the rules, his voice cracking a bit. She merely shook her head. Music played from her iPod. She pressed her lips against his neck. He groaned. His hand reached for her thigh. She put it down on the bed.

"No touching, remember? If you don't listen, you have to get punished"

Evani continued kissing his neck, grinding her hips against him. A hard sensation pressed against her inner thigh. She pushed him down on the bed, straddling him. Their faces were inches apart. He leaned closer. She put a finger to his lips. He had this pleading look in his eyes. She unbuttoned his shirt, showing off his well-defined chest. With each minute, he was getting more restless. She kissed around his pecs and slid her hand over his jeans. Suddenly, he forced her down on the bed. He tossed his shirt aside.

"I tend to break the rules"

She pushed him back down. "I like to be on top"

He got on top of her again, smirking. "So do I"

Draco kissed her fervently. He slid the straps of her chemise down and cupped her chest. She gasped. His tongue slid into her mouth, circling hers. They fought for dominance, their kiss becoming even more passionate. He kissed along her jawline and lightly bit her earlobe. Her hand brushed his pecs.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world. You're perfect"

They got lost in a whirlwind of passion, lust, and desire. Their clothes ended up all over the room. Neither of them wanted it to end. His hand slid between her legs. Her hips moved, responding to his touch. She let out a soft moan. Her fingers dug into the back of his neck. He smirked into her neck, moving his hand faster. At the last second, he stopped.

"What are you thinking?"

"That I'm the luckiest girl to be with someone like you"

"What are you really thinking?" he whispered.

His breath on her lips made her shiver. "That you should stop teasing me"

He kissed her again. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She felt him inside her. Draco started off slow and gentle. Her fingers dug into his hair, urging him to get more aggressive. He buried his face into her neck. Their breathing quickened then returned to its normal pace. Both looked at each other with nothing but love reflected in their eyes. For a few moments, she forgot what made her so sad over the past few days. Before they could continue, she heard the door open. She quickly put the covers over them. Ginny and Serena entered the room.

"Yea, I'll go find him. Let me just put away my" started Ginny.

Their eyes widened. Ginny dropped the book in her hand. Evani smiled weakly.

"E—Evie, you're feeling better and…you—we—why didn't you lock the door?!"

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon"

"So soon? Classes ended ten minutes ago"

Draco and Evani looked at each other. They did not realize it had been nearly an hour. Serena was blatantly avoiding eye contact.

"Now I'm traumatized. You could've at least tied something to the handle to warn us"

"What are you doing in here?"

"I was going to put my Charms book a—why are his pants on my bed?"

Ginny noticed the clothes scattered around the room. She made a disgusted face.

"You two are—forget it. Serena, let's just go. You are so making up for this, Evie"

"Stop whining, Weasley"

"Shut up, Malfoy! I'm going to have to disinfect my bed now"

They left the room. She heard the door lock. Draco looked at her.

"At least we won't get interrupted again"

She pecked his lips. "I love you too" she said, making him smile like a little kid on Christmas.

They spent the next two classes in her room. When it was time for dinner, they got dressed. She worried about what her friends would think if they knew they were a couple. Harry could barely stand it when she spoke to Draco for a few minutes. Hearing that they were dating might make him explode.

"There's nothing to worry about. If your friends don't like us together, they're not real friends"

Evani nodded. They headed for the Great Hall, their hands intertwined…


	63. Chapter 63: Kidnapped

-Three weeks later- News spread of Hogwart's newest couple like wild fire. Everyone talked about Draco and Evani dating. There were a few rumors about how it happened. Some claimed that Draco was either using Evani to annoy Harry, considering their close friendship, or gave her a love potion. Other rumors painted Evani as a boyfriend stealer. It started with Pansy who said that Evani seduced Draco to ruin their engagement. Cho made it worse when she and Harry broke up. She thought that Evani played a role in it. They viciously attacked her, telling kids that she wanted every guy at Hogwarts wrapped around her finger. No one seemed to understand that Evani and Draco loved each other. There was no seduction or potions involved. Her friends gradually warmed up to them being together. It took Harry the longest to accept them as a couple. He still did not trust Draco. Evani knew he was just being protective.

Bass had not reported anything about Alec's whereabouts. It made Evani keep her guard up at all times. She did not want to be tricked again by Alec. Part of her was sure that Bass would double-cross them. Draco continually told her not to worry. He was being far too calm about the situation. No matter how many times she stressed Alec being dangerous, he assured her that he could handle him. He did not understand what Alec was capable of, especially when angered. While most 5th years spent the Easter holidays preparing for the upcoming OWLs, Evani focused on her lessons with Snape. She was actually learning a lot from him. In her spare time, she would read from the Pendragon book. It taught her all about her ancestors and their accomplishments. She attempted spells of their own creation. Some required a lot of power. While Snape became much more caring towards Evani through their time spent together, his torture of Harry became worse. For some reason, their occlumency lessons stopped. When Hermione brought it up, Harry got very quiet and avoided the subject. Evani knew he was not an expert at it. He continued having dreams about that strange corridor in the Ministry. She had a feeling that something bad happened between him and Snape.

Harry seemed much more depressed lately. She doubted it had to do with his break-up with Cho. While studying in the library one day, he admitted to wanting to speak to Sirius. She sensed that he missed Sirius and enlisted the help of Fred and George. They came up with a plan for later in the day. Evani was heading to McGonagall's office. She had her career advice meeting. Every 5th year had to discuss possible career options with their Head of House. She saw Seth coming down the staircase. He returned from St. Mungo's last week. Whenever they were near each other, he would avoid her completely. Even if he put up a tough front to his friends, she knew he was shaken by his injuries. He spotted her and glanced around, attempting to find somewhere to go. She moved in front of him.

"Get out of my way"

"Seth, I want to apologize. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. It just happened. It was an accident"

He scoffed. "An accident? You wanted it to happen. Dumbledore thinks you're innocent but there's nothing but darkness in you. Everyone just doesn't want to admit that they see it. You're not a good person and you should accept it"

Evani was taken aback by his harsh words. He walked past her. It would be a lie if she said his comment did not unnerve her. Her mind drifted to the dragon's curse. During their lessons, Snape told her how some wizards naturally drift to one side of magic, either light or dark. What if she was more prone to being dark? Distracted, she continued to McGonagall's office and opened the door. McGonagall and Umbridge looked ready to kill each other. Evani could tell that they just had a very heated argument.

"Miss Rybek, right on time. Sit down, dear"

Reluctantly, Evani sat in front of her desk. Umbridge was behind her, keeping a clipboard on her knee. She did not see why Umbridge had to be part of this meeting. Pamphlets and a folder containing papers were scattered aross the desk. McGonagall got a bit tense at the sound of Umbridge writing on her clipboard.

"This meeting is to discuss career choices and to help you figure out what classes you would take for sixth and seventh year. Have you given it any thought?"

"Not really. I guess I never really thought about having a job here. My parents always wanted me to go to college to become a doctor or a lawyer or a scientist…probably all three"

McGonagall nodded in understanding. "This is a bit more complicated for muggleborn students. It wouldn't hurt to think of options here as well. You could continue your education in the muggle world and then later on, you'd have the educational requirements for a job here. Perhaps an auror"

She gave Evani a pamphlet. The cover had an emblem of two wands crossing with '_Help Keep Our World Safe'_ written under it.

"I believe you would do very well in that position. You are a very intelligent girl and from Professor Flitwick tells me, a talented duelist. I could see you in any position you put your mind to"

Evani blushed. Umbridge let out a small cough. McGonagall's nostrils flared. Ignoring her, she told Evani the educational requirements for positions like an auror and a healer. McGonagall opened the folder, which contained Evani's school records.

"Your marks are impeccable in all of your classes. Your professors all have wonderful things to say. I don't doubt you will do well on your OWLs"

Evani heard another cough behind her. "Dolores, is there something you wish to say?"

"Yes, Minerva. I do think you should not be giving Miss Rybek false hope"

"False hope?"

"Her grades may be very good in _most _of her classes but as I mentioned during the meeting with Potter, grades are not all that matters. They would surely not hire her with her criminal record…or perhaps you were not aware"

Umbridge took out a copy of _The Chronicle_. Evani clutched the sides of the chair. She opened the newspaper and showed one of the pages. There was a picture of Evani accompanied by an article. It had to be the one that Bass had written to demonize her. Umbridge tutted, shaking her head.

"A very violent temper you have, Miss Rybek. Attacking your own country's Minister of Magic…I do wonder how Dumbledore let this slip past Cornelius. If it were up to him, Miss Rybek would be sent to Declan Bass immediately or at least put in the center for juvenile delinquents"

McGonagall glared harshly. "I would expect someone from a Ministry position to believe that smut. _The Chronicle_ is nothing more than a tabloid, spreading lies constructed by the Minister himself. There is no proof that she harmed anyone as Dumbledore informed Minister Bass many times so she will remain in this school"

"Lies? I think not. Miss Rybek clearly has issues with respecting authority and getting along with her peers. From what some reliable students have told me, she's quite unstable and aggressive"

"I will not have you slandering students, Dolores. Miss Rybek, you may go" she said, looking ready to start another argument.

Evani left the office. She went up to the DADA classroom. No one was there yet. She leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Her head seared with pain. She took slow, deep breaths, remembering what Snape taught her. Someone touched her shoulder. Startled, she opened her eyes. Blaise was in front of her.

"Evie, are you okay?"

"Yea. Just a little tired. Hermione made me study with her all last night"

"Have you seen Draco? He went to our room to get his Divinations book and he never showed up"

"No. I'll go look for him. I'd rather not be in the same room as Umbridge"

Evani headed to Draco's room. The door was locked. She knocked a few times, calling out his name. No one answered. She unlocked the door with a spell. The room was a complete mess. Most would just pass it off as nothing due to them being guys. Evani noticed a hole in the wall. It looked like there was some kind of fight. The mirror near Seth's bed had been smashed. She repaired it and brushed her hand against the glass. The room appeared in the glass. She saw Draco enter the room and grab his book. Alec snuck up behind him and they got into an intense fight. Her eyes widened when Alec threw him into the wall, knocking him unconscious. The images became a bit blurry, due to the mirror shattering at that point. Worried, she ran out of the room…

~Draco~

Draco woke up, feeling very lightheaded. He found himself in the living room of an unfamiliar house. Ropes tied him down to a chair. He struggled to move. There were pictures on the walls of a woman with a guy and girl in their 20s. Draco tried to remember how he got here. He had been in his room, looking for his Divinations book, when Alec appeared. They got into a fight and then everything went black. Draco reached his wand in his back pocket. Alec entered the room.

"Hey, you're awake. Welcome to my house"

He picked up a photo frame by the television. "I'm the youngest of three. My brother is the head of the International Cooperation department at the American Ministry. My sister is a healer at St. Baxter's and she's come up with potions to heal all kinds of diseases. I'm not in any of these pictures. I'm the disappointment in the family. My mom just sees me as a mistake. Declan used her when he was drunk and I'm a reminder of that"

"Am I here to hear your life story?"

Alec walked over to him. He pointed a knife at his throat. Draco attempted to look unfazed. His insides were shaking. He regretted not listening to Evani's warnings about Alec. She kept telling him that he was dangerous. If he had listened, he would not be in this situation.

"That was really low…going to my father. He couldn't find me though"

"Well clearly, you're better at hiding than I thought" replied Draco.

Draco was able to grab the handle of his wand. Alec made a small cut with the knife.

"You are going to stop seeing Evani"

He glared. "You're really delusional, aren't you? You think she wants you? Don't you notice how you're practically only one who calls her by her full name? I don't think it's a coincidence. She wanted to forget you so she goes by Evie. She's scared of you"

"She still loves me"

"Your whole relationship was a lie"

"It was not! I know you and your little games. You get a girl in bed and then toss them aside like trash. You're the Slytherin Prince. Girls at Hogwarts throw themselves at you. If you want a girl, you just take her. When I was looking through Lukas's memories, I saw an interesting one from just last year. You were bored and you got his girlfriend to sleep with you. She dumped him, thinking you were going to be together, and the next day, you couldn't even remember her name"

Draco stared at the floor. He could not deny anything that Alec said. In the past, Draco did toy with girls. He used his looks and high status to get anything he wanted. His family had him accustomed to that lifestyle. He did have a reputation with how he treated girls. It was a big reason why Potter told Evani not to date him. Potter thought that he just wanted another girl in his bed and Evani would be some special prize. Evani was not like those other girls. For the first time, he did not want something purely physical. He loved her for more than just being beautiful. Being around her made him want to be a better person.

"It's not like that with her"

"You don't deserve her. She's mine. Everything I did was for her! We're supposed to be together. You're getting in the way. I have to get rid of you"

"Alec"

Evani was in the doorway. Alec's expression changed in an instant. His eyes held this adoring gleam. Most girls might see it as loving but Draco found it unsettling. It was like Alec had an obsession with her.

"It's okay. You don't need him. I'm back…and I'm never leaving you again"

"Don't hurt him. Just let him go and we can talk about whatever you want"

Alec looked at Draco. Lowering the knife, he walked out into the hallway. Draco sighed with relief. Evani went over to him. She checked him for any injuries.

"Evie, he didn't do anything. Untie me. These ropes are"

"He's not letting you go. He's just thinking of the best to hurt you without upsetting me. I know how he thinks. I'll handle it"

"But"

"Trust me"

She went into the hallway. Suddenly, Draco heard a loud crash.

"How the hell did you—you're going to pay for that"

Draco used his wand to cut through the ropes. He hurried out of the room. Alec was jabbing a knife into…him. The other person looked just like him in every way. Was he hallucinating? Alec's smirk faltered when he noticed Draco behind him.

"Wh"

Draco's eyes widened as the other person's appearance changed. They turned into Evani. She had a deep wound in her stomach. Blood seeped out as she breathed heavily. Alec dropped the knife.

"N—no. Y—you tricked me. Why did you—it was supposed to be him"

Draco knocked him back with a stunning spell. He bent down to Evani.

"Evie, I can fix it. I—my mom taught me a spell to—I can't remember…I'm not losing you"

His mind was racing, trying to remember the healing spell. For some reason, she smiled weakly. He did not understand how she could be calm.

"Stop freaking out" she whispered.

An anguished scream distracted him. Turning around, he saw Alec clutching the sides of his head. Alec tried to attack Draco. He stopped, crying out in pain. His skin began to rot all over his body. Draco watched him fall to the floor with a thud. Evani sat up, looking perfectly fine. The wound in her stomach had vanished.

"Evie, what"

"It's all right. He's not going to come after you or me ever again. Let's go back…before someone sees us here"

She left the house. He stared at Alec's body. His eyes were lifeless. Draco thought about how her wound just healed instantly. He remembered something similar happening to Seth and how Voldemort's arm was injured when he was choking her. It could not be coincidence. Any explanation he came up with for this strange occurrence made no sense. He followed after her, taking one last look at Alec…

~Evani~

Evani brought Draco and herself back to the castle. He was still a bit shaken from the encounter. Instead of going to dinner, she took him to his room. They sat on his bed.

"Draco, it's going to be fine. No one's going to ask questions. Alec's family hated him. His own mother was relieved when he got arrested. He caused a lot of problems for her. Alec can't hurt us now. He's gone"

"How? I don't—how did it happen? One minute, you were hurt and the next, he's dead and you're healed"

She sighed. "I can't tell you. Snape said I'm not allowed"

"Why not?"

"Draco, it's nothing to worry about, okay? I didn't want Alec to…he did it to himself"

Evani assured him that no one would connect them to what happened to Alec. He hugged her, telling her that he never wanted to risk losing her like that again. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. They left the dungeons. The Entrance Hall was covered in miniature swamps. Some kids had stinksap all over them. She spotted Fred and George surrounded by members of the Inquisitorial squad. This must have been part of their plan to help Harry talk to Sirius. Peeves hovered overhead, cackling. Umbridge was standing on the staircase, looking like a hawk about to attack its prey.

"So, you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

Fred suppressed a grin. "Pretty amusing"

Filch hobbled over to her, holding a piece of paper. He said it was to approve whipping as a punishment. Evani worried about Fred and George. How could a school allow whipping? Umbridge looked very smug.

"You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"I don't think we are. George, I think we've outgrown full-time education"

"I think so too. I think it's time to test our talents in the real world"

Raising their wands, they used a summoning charm. Their brooms hurtled down the corridor and stopped in front of them. They got onto the brooms.

"We won't be seeing you"

"Don't bother to keep in touch"

Everyone was staring at them with mixed expressions of shock and amazement. Fred smiled.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated here, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley…Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

Umbridge shouted at the Inquisitorial squad to stop them. As they closed in on the twins, both shot into the air. Fred told Peeves to give Umbridge hell. To her surprise, Peeves did a small salute. She watched Fred and George fly out of the castle. Kids cheered, excitedly. Umbridge's face turned redder than a tomato. She shouted for all of them to return to their common rooms. Evani looked at Draco.

"I'll see you later"

"Be careful. Umbridge might take out her anger on someone…probably a Gryffindor"

She kissed his cheek and headed up to the Gryffindor common room…

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	64. Chapter 64: OWLs

-A week later- Though the Gryffindors were feeling elated by the Quidditch Cup win, where Ron played the best he had all year, the happiness died down with the realization of the upcoming OWLs and NEWTs. The 5th and 7th years spent all of their time studying. Evani didn't feel the same sense of dread. While Hermione studied all hours, frantically checking her notes, Evani just acted like it was another test. She seemed to be the only one not filled with nerves. Some kids began having mental breakdowns. Hannah had to go to the hospital wing after crying in Herbology, claiming to be too stupid. Evani was distracted by other things, including her lessons with Snape and Hagrid's half-brother. During the quidditch match, Hagrid brought Evani, Harry, and Hermione into the forest. He introduced them to Grawp, his half-brother from the giant colony. Grawp was the reason that Hagrid took so long to get back from his mission and how he got his bad injuries. Hagrid worried about Umbridge possibly firing him like she had done to Trelawney. He wanted someone to watch over Grawp if he was gone. Ron freaked out about the news. Not even Evani was very keen on babysitting a giant more than twice her size.

Last night, the examiners for the OWL and NEWT exams had arrived. Draco claimed that his father knew one of the examiners, Madam Marchbanks, very well. He would brag that the way to pass these exams was based on connections, not knowledge of the material. The approaching exams led to a boom in products among the students, aimed at helping with memory and concentration. Evani had to keep Harry and Ron from buying brain elixir from a 6th year Ravenclaw. She told them that it was actually horse urine. Some kids tended to be a bit more gullible. Blaise bought a talisman from a 7th year, which was supposed to improve memory. As Umbridge steadily got worse in her regime as Headmistress, Evani kept hoping Dumbledore would just pop up at the school. Fred and George's departure led to kids wanting to become the newest troublemakers. They would play pranks and annoy Umbridge by using the skiving snackboxes to get out of class. One person even put a niffler in her office, which almost bit off her fingers to get her rings. Evani could tell that Umbridge was reaching her breaking point.

She was in the Slytherin common room, promising to help Draco and Blaise with studying. They had their Charms written exam in less than an hour. Blaise read his Charms book, studying the incantation of a repulsion charm. Draco attempted to do a color-changing charm on an apple. She leaned against his shoulder, flipping through a fashion magazine. He groaned in frustration. The apple only had a few blue spots among its red color. She remarked that he needed to enunciate more. The magazine was pulled from her hands.

"Hey!"

"Evie, what are you doing?"

"Reading about trends for the summer"

"Our OWLs start soon. How much have you studied?"

"You're freaking out over nothing. It's just a test"

Blaise shook his head at her. He claimed that she was mental for not preparing as much as the other students. They had a lot to worry about with these exams. Some parents were a bit strict when it came to grades. Blaise's mother told him that if he did not get at least five OWLs, he would lose his trust fund. Draco's parents wanted all Exceed Expectations. If he got anything lower, his father simply said he would regret it. Draco did not want to find out what that meant. She pouted at Blaise.

"Aw, boo hoo. At least you just have to take these OWLs. My dad made me take my high school exams just last week"

"I still don't understand why you were taking those muggle classes. He knows this is a school, right?" asked Draco.

"Draco, I told you that he wants me to keep my grades up for college"

"That's not for 4 years for you. I think your parents need to calm down a bit"

"Well…it might be sooner"

He looked at her, confused. Evani explained how when she was younger, she was able to skip a few grades to be in the same year as Jayce. She refused, wanting to stay with her friends. Instead, her parents arranged for her to stay at her usual grade level but do advanced coursework on the side. Those who thought it was a bit excessive did not understand her family. Due to taking the advanced work, she could go to college at an earlier age. Her father had discussed applying the same time as Jayce. Evani was unsure of how Draco would feel about it. He just looked at her.

"Next year? But—you still have Hogwarts"

"It's not definite"

Her phone vibrated. She had gotten her exam results. He asked how she did. She got all As, maintaining her perfect GPA.

"I got 100% on all of them"

"Why don't you sound happy?"

"Because I did extra credit in all of those classes just in case. It should be higher"

Evani called up her old school. She spoke with the principal. He claimed that she could not go higher than 100%. Their discussion went back and forth. Frustrated, she hung up and texted her father about the situation.

"What an idiot"

As she glanced up from her phone, she noticed Draco and Blaise staring. They had confused expressions on their faces.

"I'm a little lost here. You got the highest grade possible but you're not happy about it"

"It should be higher"

"Evie, what does it matter if it's 100% or 112%?"

"It matters to me. You've met my family. You have to be perfect. You never settle for anything…you can always be better"

Blaise shook his head. He said that her family sounded mental. She glared.

"They're not insane. They just have high standards"

Draco glanced at the clock by the fireplace. The exam would be starting in ten minutes. Evani got up from the couch. She flicked her wand. The apple turned neon pink. Draco picked it up. He pushed her shoulder, calling her a show-off. She stuck her tongue out at him. They went up to the Great Hall together. It was like walking into a funeral. Kids stood around, quietly, looking panicked. Hermione was reading her Charms book extremely fast, almost ripping the pages. At a quarter till ten, they were let into the Great Hall. The seats had been arranged in random order. She sat behind Seamus. He covered his ears, whispering under his breath about locomotion charms. McGonagall stood in front of the staff table. Booklets and parchment appeared on each desk. She explained that they had two hours to complete the exam. Evani opened the booklet. She looked at the first question: _a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly_. It took Evani little time to do the exam. The questions were simple. She wrote about two full pages on cheering charms. Once she finished, she triple-checked her answers. She went over to McGonagall.

"Is there a problem, Miss Rybek?"

"I'm done, professor"

"Are you sure, dear? There's still an hour left"

"Yes. I'm finished"

"Very well. Your afternoon practical will begin after lunch"

As she passed Draco, he had his head leaning against his hand, looking increasingly frustrated. She noticed McGonagall go over to Anthony.

"Relax" she whispered in Draco's ear

She pecked his cheek. He sighed, calming down a bit. Evani decided to sit by the lake. She rested against a tree, listening to music. Serena and Ginny walked over to her. They were covered in dirt. She assumed that they came from a Herbology lesson. They sat with her, talking about the exam.

"Who cares about OWLs? Let's talk about Serena's birthday"

Serena blushed. "Can we not? Every year, my mom gets it wrong. She'll probably think it's two months from now"

"We are not forgetting it. Consider this how I'll make up for when you found me and Draco. I am throwing you a killer party tomorrow night"

"Evie, you don't need to"

"I want to because you're my friend. It's going to be awesome. It'll be a small get-together of people you want there. I don't need to invite your parents. Tomorrow night is all about you"

After a minute, Serena smiled. She had mentioned to Evani how her mother always forgot her birthday. Her mother had a tendency to favor Seth. Last year, she completely forgot Serena's birthday all together. It made Serena resent parties. Evani wanted her to be happy for once. The party would be a good way to get away from all the drama. Evani convinced the manager at Howler to let them in for the night. They spent their lunchtime by planning out Serena's party. Both Evani and Ginny promised to make the night the best in her life. Serena worried about her mother disliking the idea. Evani assured her that no one would know about this party except for the guests. Reluctantly, Serena told her that she did not want Draco there. Even though he was slowly redeeming himself, she would rather the guests just be her close friends. Evani agreed, knowing that Draco would not mind. It was not like he and Serena were best friends. After lunch, she had the practical component of her Charms OWL. All of the 5th years waited outside the Great Hall. The four examiners were inside, doing tests in small groups.

"Rivers, Roper, Rybek, Smith" called Flitwick.

Evani entered the Hall. Flitwick told her to go over to Professor Tofty. She walked towards the farthest table. The examiner was an elderly bald man with pince-nez glasses.

"Rybek, is it?" he asked, glancing at a piece of parchment.

"Yes, sir"

Tofty smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Ah, the champion of our latest Wizard Battle tournament. Very impressive performance, my dear"

She noticed Umbridge watching her by the entrance doors. Tofty asked if she was feeling nervous. Evani shook her head. She was confident in her charms ability. The practical part of these exams would be the easiest for her.

"I like confidence. Now, let's start with a little levitation charm"

He conjured a wine glass on the table. She took out her wand. Doing the swish and flick movement, she made the glass float all the way to the ceiling.

"Excellent, excellent…"

The exam consisted of making a cup do cartwheels, changing the color of a cat, and increasing the size of a random object. She had just made the wine glass grow to three times its size. Tofty smiled.

"Wonderful, my dear. That ends the examination, unless…"

He leaned forward. "I did see you perform the most intriguing charm while handling that firestorm in the tournament. If you could show it to me for a few little bonus points…"

"Yea, sure"

She pointed her wand at the stone floor. The stone creeped up her body, covering her like a second skin. He clapped, enthusiastically. Evani reversed the charm.

"Marvelous. I've never seen such masterful control of the elements. You are gifted, my dear"

She left the Hall, suppressing the urge to rub it in the toad's face. Umbridge looked slightly annoyed. Evani went up the staircase, returning to the Slytherin common room. Draco was sitting by the window, reading his Transfiguration book. For the next few hours, she had to continually go over various spells and theories. Draco kept making sure that he got the exact definitions right. Evani was close to beating her head with the book. She put it aside.

"Evie, wait. I wasn't done with"

"Draco, you need to relax. You'll do worse if you're too nervous"

He sighed. "I just…I have to do well on these exams. My dad's really tough on me"

"You know the material. Stop worrying"

"I was thinking that tomorrow night, we could go down to Hogsmeade for fun"

"I can't. I'm throwing Serena a party for her birthday at Howler. You kind of can't come. She just wants her friends there"

She looked at him, a bit anxious. He nodded.

"I understand. I don't mind"

They hung around the common room for the rest of the night...

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**


	65. Chapter 65: The Second Pendragon

-A week later- OWL exams passed by without much worry. With everyone else studying, Evani spent more time with Ginny and Serena. They would go down to Hogsmeade after classes or hang out at Devon's mansion. Evani was at the top of the Astronomy tower, doing her practical part of the exam. She had to fill in a star chart. It was getting close to midnight and the sky was completely dark aside from the twinkling stars. The moon had cast an soft glow on the grounds. She looked into her telescope. As she checked over the constellations, the tips of her fingers sparked electricity. She stuffed her hand in the pocket of her cardigan to cover it up. Once she finished labeling the constellation Orion, she went over to Marchbanks. The elderly woman smiled.

"Finished, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am"

"I'll take this"

She took the star chart. "Go rest up. Only one more day of exams left"

Evani noticed the lights on in Hagrid's cabin. Once she was out of the tower, she went down there. She knocked on the door lightly. It opened to reveal Fang. He jumped on her, attempting to lick her face.

"Down, Fang. Yer goin' ter knock her over"

Hagrid pushed Fang back. "Yer here late, Evie"

"I just finished my Astronomy OWL"

"Come in, come in. It's cold out"

She stepped inside. Hagrid offered her some tea. He turned on the kettle. She sat at the round table, petting Fang's head. Hagrid poured her tea in a large mug. He asked her about the Astronomy exam. She told him it went well.

"I'm sure yeh did great. Yer jus' as brilliant as Hermione"

He sat across from her at the table. Evani watched him drink his tea.

"Can I ask you a question? How does it feel when people look at you, knowing you're different? I mean, being a half-giant…"

"I don' pay much attention ter it"

He looked at her, curiously. "Is somethin' wrong?"

She put down her mug. "I just…I'm not like everyone here. I knew there must be other wizards but I could never find them or they never told me. I always had to hide my magic from people. Then I met Harry and learned about Hogwarts…I thought it would be different but it's not. I still have to hide. I'm not normal"

"Evie"

"I want people to know. I'm sick of having to keep it all a secret. Then there are other times where I don't want people to know because I think they'll freak out or hate me. I mean, Umbridge knows there's something off about me and the way she looks at me…it's like she thinks I'm some diseased mutant"

Evani had wanted to talk to Hagrid for a while. If anyone knew what it was like to hide part of themselves, it was him. No one had a clue about him being a half-giant until last year when a reporter for the _Daily Prophet _wrote about him. She hated having to hide her real abilities. It was partly why she enjoyed the lessons with Snape. He let her use her magic freely. Outside of his office, she had to restrict herself. That was becoming more difficult. Hagrid took her hand in his, comfortingly.

"Listen ter me. Yer a special girl. Only scum would try ter hurt someone like yeh. Any witch or wizard would be lucky to be like yeh"

"I don't think so"

"Let me tell yeh about me first day at Hogwarts. I met Dumbledore and he knew about me bein' half giant and all. I was like you, nervous about people seein' the real me. He told me to embrace what made me different…cause it made me special. Don' ever see it as a problem. It's a gift. Don' let anyone make yeh be anythin' but who yeh are"

She hugged him. "Thanks, Hagrid"

"Anytime. Yeh know tha' no one here would hate yeh. Yeh got good friends like Harry. No matter what, they will always be there for yeh"

Evani nodded quietly. Her thoughts drifted to the dragon's curse. She wondered how her friends would react if they knew about her bloodline as a Pendragon. While in the library one day, she decided to look up any information on the family. Everything was just slander and painted the Pendragons in the worst light. They got described as brutal, vicious rulers and traitors to wizardkind. She was sure that purebloods be taught that side to the Pendragons rather than the truth. Suddenly, she heard a sharp knock on the door. Hagrid questioned who would be here this late. She figured it was Harry sneaking out to see Hagrid after his exam. Hagrid opened the door. Umbridge was standing outside with six men, including Dawlish and Savage. Evani got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned invisible.

"Good evening, Hagrid. May we have a word?"

"Bit late, isn' it?"

The conversation was hard to hear due to Umbridge whispering.

"Take me where?!" yelled Hagrid.

"You need to come with us, Hagrid. You've been put on suspension…the Ministry has some questioning to do" said Savage.

"Yer not arrestin' me. I've done nothin' wrong"

"Enough of this. Take him!"

They started to cast stunning spells at him. She turned visible and ran outside the cabin. Putting up a shield charm, she moved in front of Hagrid. The stunning spells reflected off of the shield. Umbridge put on a falsely innocent expression.

"Miss Rybek, what are you doing out on the grounds at this hour?"

"I finished my exam early"

"You are not allowed out of the castle so late. Get back to your common room, dear"

Evani glared at her toad-like smile. She was not going to let them hurt Hagrid. He did nothing wrong. Umbridge assumed that he put the nifflers in her office but she had no evidence. Evani kept her wand in front of her, ready to duel if necessary.

"No. You're not taking Hagrid anywhere"

"Don't interfere with Ministry business, little girl" said Savage.

"If you want to get him, you have to go through me. So you can try it and I'll beat you up until you're crying for your mothers or you can walk away with your faces intact"

The men looked reluctant to harm her. "Richards"

"Madam Umbridge" said a thin blonde in his 30s.

"You have direct orders from your Minister himself"

Richards nodded. He pointed his wand at Evani. The tip of his wand glowed blue. He ordered her to stand aside or they would duel. She did not back down. A jet of blue light emitted from his wand. She deflected it, making the light hit Hagrid's door. It caused a small burn mark. She did not want to hurt anyone. The aurors had a different idea. She dueled Richards while the other aurors attempted to stun Hagrid. Due to his giant blood, the spells rebounded with no effect.

"Be reasonable, Hagrid!"

"Reasonable, be damned! Yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

A stunner struck Fang, causing him to fall unconscious. Furious, Hagrid lifted up one of the aurors, throwing him at least ten feet. Evani shot a quick spell. A gash formed on Richards' cheek. He snarled.

"You're making a big mistake, little girl"

She got distracted by someone shouting from the Astronomy tower. In the darkness, she could see telescopes pointed down towards the cabin. A figure was moving his hand angrily. She could barely make out Draco's face.

"Evie, get the hell out of there right now! What are you doing? Get back into the castle before I drag you back myself!" he yelled, panicked.

McGonagall was rushing towards the cabin. "How dare you! How _dare_ you! Leave them alone, I say! Attacking an innocent child and man—he has done nothing to warrant such"

Evani's eyes widened when four stunning spells struck her chest. McGonagall flew back, hitting the ground hard. She was not moving. Hagrid let out a low roar. He began swiping at the men, calling them cowards. The four men fell to the ground, injured and disoriented. Angrily, she made a slashing movement with her wand. Within seconds, Richards' shirt was covered in blood. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. As Hagrid ran off with Fang, she rushed over to McGonagall. She could feel a low pulse on her wrist.

"Miss Rybek" she said, weakly.

"It's okay. We'll get you to the hospital wing. Let me just"

Evani was tugged back forcefully by her hair. Umbridge looked enraged. Her flabby face was extremely red. She dragged Evani into the castle. Evani struggled against her harsh grip.

"Get off me!"

"You are a nasty, disrespectful child, Miss Rybek. Attacking an auror and interfering in Ministry affairs"

"He attacked me first"

"Silence!"

Draco was running down the staircase. His eyes widened. He pleaded for Umbridge to let go of her. Umbridge took out her wand.

"Mister Malfoy, unless you'd like to receive an even worse punishment than your darling girlfriend here, you will hold your tongue. I expect better from members of the Inquisitorial squad"

Draco did not move out of her way. He said that he would report her to the school governors. A spell struck his back, knocking him out. Seth walked up behind him. Umbridge praised him for his quick thinking and told him to take Draco back to the Slytherin common room. Seth levitated the unconscious Draco. As he passed Evani, he smirked. She attempted to lunge at him. Umbridge dragged her up the staircase roughly. They stopped at the Gryffindor portrait. The Fat Lady looked concerned with the sight in front of her. Umbridge gave the password. As the portrait swung open, they entered the common room. Kids were sitting around, talking and joking around. Conversations stopped, seeing Umbridge's death grip on Evani. Ginny, Keith, and Colin stood up from the couches.

"I would send you straight to the Ministry to be thrown in the juvenile center for your insolence but it wouldn't have much effect on you. If Declan didn't have a good enough reason to take you back, he certainly does now. You will remain in this common room and only leave for your exams. There will be no meals, no visiting Hogsmeade village, and no sneaking around the castle. If you leave, the other portraits will inform me. This punishment will go on until I see fit. If one of your classmates decides to sneak you up food, they will get the same punishment. Is that clear, children?"

The other Gryffindors were silent. They all looked frightened. Umbridge had been bad before but this was an entirely different level of cruel.

"So I'm going to starve to death?"

"Your punishment will be lifted when you decide to follow order. I let those filthy Weasley boys get away with their hi-jinks"

Colin kept Ginny from hexing her. Umbridge looked around at all of the Gryffindors.

"But no more. I will not have disorder at my school!"

"It's not your school. You can have that headmistress title all you want. Hogwarts still belongs to Dumbledore" whispered Evani.

Umbridge threw Evani to the floor. Her head slammed into one of the chairs. She heard the portrait close. Keith helped her up, sitting her down on the couch. He took out his wand.

"You got a bad cut on your forehead. Here"

Using a healing spell, he began fixing the cut. Other kids checked on her. Angelina lifted her hair up from the back, noting that she had a bruise from Umbridge grabbing her. She went up to her room to get a healing cream. Evani tied her hair up in a ponytail. Using her compact, she could see a dark bruise on the back of her neck. Ginny scowled.

"That woman is pure evil. Are we sure she's not working for you know who?"

"Evie!"

The 5th years rushed over to her. Angelina returned with a small tube of cream. She rubbed the cream onto her bruise. It gave off this cool sensation.

"You're bleeding" said Ron, worried.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

Evani explained the entire incident, including Umbridge's punishment. To her surprise, Hermione was shaking with rage.

"She can't do that to you, Evie. It's inhumane"

"I don't think she cares"

"There has to be someone we can write to"

"Who, Fudge? He'd probably say to chop off Evie's hands" said Keith.

They talked about Hagrid being fired. Hermione told them how Umbridge hated half-breeds and probably wanted him out since he returned. Katie mentioned the nifflers in her office. Lee looked guilty. He admitted that Fred and George left him a few and he put them in Umbridge's office as a joke. Dean shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. He was too close to Dumbledore"

"Is McGonagall okay?" asked Evani.

"We saw Pomfrey and some of her assistants carry her back into the castle. She looked bad" said Colin, nervously.

Only Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Keith, and Colin stayed downstairs. The lion portrait swung open. Serena jumped down and ran over to the couch.

"Evie, I was freaking out. Blaise said that you were fighting an auror and—what happened?"

Ginny told her the story again. Her fists clenched.

"I'll kick that bitch's face in"

"Serena, don't"

"I'll tell my mom. She's friends with the school governors. If they heard"

"Your mom isn't my biggest fan right now"

"Why?" asked Harry.

Evani realized that she let the lake incident slip. She tried to cover up her mistake, pretending that Mrs. Burke disliked muggleborns. Serena looked at her, strangely. She said that she only met her mother at the train station and she liked Evani. Unable to lie, Evani sighed.

"She thought I put Seth in the hospital"

"That's insane. Why"

"Because—I was with him that night"

"You said you went to the library after you and Seth had a fight" said Hermione.

"We did have a fight. I thought he was sending me those notes and he denied it. Then, he made this sexist comment and we started arguing. My magic kind of lost control and I hurt him a little. So I left to come back here but then he chased me out to the lake. He stabbed me with that knife"

All of them stared at her, horrified. Harry was furious that she never told the truth. She explained that Snape made her lie to keep the situation quiet.

"I'll put him back in the hospital. How could you not tell me?!"

"Snape made me promise. It was better to just go with Dumbledore's story"

Serena was silent. "Serena, don't mention it to him. It's not a big deal. It was a long time ago"

"He stabbed you, Evie. I thought he was nuts before but he's full-blown psychotic"

Keith moved his wand. He had fixed her cut. Thanking him, she kissed his cheek. He blushed. Hermione assured her that this punishment by Umbridge was not going to last. The other professors would never let her be treated like a prisoner. Around 4 in the morning, they went to their rooms. Evani got distracted by the portrait opening. Reese was in the archway. He entered the common room.

"Reese, what are you"

"Are you alright? Did Umbridge hurt you?"

"Nothing life-threatening. Why are you here?"

"I need you to come with me"

"I can't. Umbridge said I have to stay"

"Since when do you listen to her?" he interrupted.

Reese made a good point. Evani was not known for respecting Umbridge. She did not understand why he would be here. Reese took her out of the castle. They were heading for the Forbidden Forest. She stopped walking.

"Why are we going in there? I'm not—no way"

"Evie, you need to trust me"

"I don't even know you"

"That's my fault"

Evani looked at him, confused. He told her that she would have her questions answered soon. Reluctantly, she followed him into the forest. They were going down a familiar path. After a few minutes, they ended up in front of the cave.

"What are we doing here?"

"I think you know. You found this cave, didn't you? You saw it in dreams?"

"How do you know about the cave?"

"Because I used to dream about it too. There's a reason your friends couldn't enter it. It's the Pendragon cave. It was specially built in ancient times…primarily to breed Razortails. It was also a safe haven for their treasures"

"You know I'm…a Pendragon?"

He smiled. "Of course I do. I'm one as well"

Evani shook her head. Snape told her that she was the only magical Pendragon left. The rest had been extinguished with the rebellion. She saw Reese use magic multiple times. Thinking this might be some trap, she kept her guard up.

"You're lying. I'm the only one that can do magic. Snape said"

"Snape doesn't know the whole story. I was around when the rebellion happened. My name used to be Jon Pendragon but I changed it when I came here. I was the oldest son of Orion Pendragon. When I lost my magic, my father was able to cast one more spell besides the one he used to ensure our bloodline would survive. He sent me through time, a few years before the Pendragon witch or wizard would be born. He told me to watch over you and when you turned 11, I was going to bring you to Hogwarts and help you with your magic"

"You're still lying. First of all, you look nothing like a Pendragon. Snape said that they all had features like me, chocolate brown hair and sapphire blue eyes. Your second lie…you can do magic. You said you lost it"

Reese nodded. He waved his hand over his face. His hair and eye color changed, making him look more like her. Unbuttoning his shirt, he turned his back to her. Her eyes widened. He had the dragon mark. She was still slightly unconvinced.

"I did lose my magic…but it was returned to me when you were born. That's how I knew you had arrived"

"Okay, let's say I believe you. Why didn't you show up for me?"

He had a guilty expression on his face. "I was too tempted by this world. It's very different from where I grew up. I realized that I failed you when I heard about the attack on you over the summer. I knew it had to be Voldemort's doing…so I applied to be a history assistant here to keep an eye on you"

"Why wait all this time to tell me?"

"I didn't want to frighten you. I could tell you were still getting used to the wizarding world. I didn't want Dumbledore to be suspicious either"

"That's a dumb excuse and I still think you're lying"

She pushed her hand forward. A ball of light emerged from her hand. Reese deflected it. The light hit her, causing her to knock into a tree. She got up, weakly. He chuckled, walking over to her.

"You are very powerful, Evie. You'd make my father proud, being this strong at your young age…but you're nowhere near my level. I've already gone through the curse and reached my full potential. You won't stand a chance against me"

She glared. "Come with me" he said, taking her arm.

They entered the cave. Reese brought her to the spot where she found the dragon eggs. He touched his wrist against one of the jagged rocks. The wall split open, revealing another enclosure. He went over to a small chest. Opening it, he removed a necklace. It had a dragon pendant. He put it around her neck.

"This is going to make those bad little thoughts stop. I went through the same phase. I know how unpleasant it can be"

"They'll stop because of a necklace?"

"It's enchanted with Pendragon magic. It was tradition that as a child began to receive their mark, they wore the necklace until they chose their side. You'll soon learn when your choice must be made. It will come to you in a dream"

Evani glanced at the necklace. "It is imperative that we stick together, Evie. With the dark threat of Voldemort looming, our family must be protected"

"You mean my parents and Jayce too, right? They might not be able to do magic but they're still technically Pendragons"

For a second, he looked a bit annoyed. He nodded.

"Yes. They matter just as much as you"

They headed back to the castle. Evani was trying to process Reese's real identity. She could not believe that he came from the Middle Ages. Part of her was excited about meeting another Pendragon. He would understand what she had to go through with this curse. She could not deny that it shocked her when he deflected her magic. No one else had ever been able to beat her before. When he said that she stood no chance against him, it was like a challenge. She wanted to prove herself. They stopped in front of the portait to the common room. Reese tilted her chin up.

"You will not need to worry about Umbridge for much longer. Stay safe, my princess"

He kissed her forehead. She opened the portrait and went up to her room…

* * *

**A/N: So a theme in this story is that everything isn't as it seems. Even though Reese is a Pendragon like her, Evani still does not know much about him. She only knows what he's told her. An important thing to think about is how he said he went through his curse. It means that he chose a side, light or dark. The question is which did he choose? There are subtle hints that he's not that trustworthy since he clearly does not hold Evani's family to the same value as her. This can relate to the time he grew up in where there were probably high tensions between muggles and wizards. Reese may not want to accept her family as real Pendragons because they lack magic. Now that Reese's identity is known, he's going to be important to Evani in terms of her curse and how she grows as a witch. **


	66. Chapter 66: Harry's Vision

-The next day- Evani woke up later than usual, knowing that she could not go to the Great Hall. Ginny and the other girls were gone. Sleepily, she went into the spare room. Ash and Shadow were playing around. She sat on the floor with them. Shadow rested in her lap. Waving her hand, she conjured two bowls and put meat into them.

"Are we ready for our gourmet meals? Chicken for Sir Shadow and fancy cow for Sir Ash"

Ash blew out a steady flame, charring the meat. She clapped.

"Good job, Ash. Very impressive"

He let out a soft screech. She heard her stomach growl. Shadow pushed his bowl towards her. Ash cooked the meat using a sustained flame.

"I'm not going to take your food. You eat it"

Both of them looked at her. After a minute, she sighed.

"You're lucky you two are cute. But looks can't get you everything"

She ate some of the chicken. As the time for her exam drew closer, she got dressed in her uniform. She went down to the Great Hall. Some kids whispered, looking over at her. They were talking about the incident from last night. Once something happened in the castle, everyone knew within the hour.

"I heard she put an auror in the hospital"

"Someone said that Umbridge threatened to lock her in Azkaban"

It was hard not to roll her eyes at their ridiculous rumors. As the 5th years entered the Hall to take their seats, she followed them. The doors shut in front of her. She jumped back. Umbridge walked over with Snape. He looked at her, sympathetically.

"And where are you going, Miss Rybek?" she asked with a false sweetness in her voice.

"To take my test"

"Not just yet. You will start it an hour and a half later"

"What? Then I only have half an hour to do all the questions"

Umbridge's lips twisted into a nasty smile. "Well that shouldn't be a problem for you, dear. The examiners have boasted about your quick efficiency in finishing early"

Evani's nails dug into her hands. She wanted to punch Umbridge. No one messed with her grades. Umbridge told her that Snape would be watching her in an empty classroom. When the hour and a half had passed, the doors to the Hall would reopen so she could take her exam.

"Headmistress, surely you can think of a different punishment. OWLs are important"

"My word is final, Snape. Unless you'd like to be dismissed like the half-giant, you will do as I requested"

He nodded, silently. Evani followed him over to a classroom near the Great Hall. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed her over her chest. Umbridge closed the door. It glowed blue for a few seconds. Evani tried to open it. The door remained locked.

"It will not open until the time has passed"

"This is so unfair. I did nothing wrong"

"I can't completely agree with that"

She glared. "She was trying to get rid of Hagrid"

"You didn't need to get involved. You know how Umbridge is, Evani. I told you to keep your head down"

For the next hour, she sat down at one of the desks. She kept glancing at the clock. The door finally unlocked. She snuck into the Great Hall. There was an empty desk next to Harry. Sitting down, she started the test. There were around twenty questions. To help her catch up, Evani blew lightly on her pen. The pen glowed and began writing on its own. If the examiners looked around, she held the pen, pretending to write. She undid the spell as she reached the last question. There was five minutes left. She started to write about a battle between giants in Scotland. As she started the concluding paragraph, she sensed something was wrong. Harry fell out of his chair, clutching his scar and yelling. Kids turned around, trying to see what happened. Tofty rushed over to him. She entered Harry's mind with everyone distracted. There were flashes of a dark corridor filled with small spheres and Sirius being tortured. It looked like Sirius was in the Department of Mysteries. Tofty led him out of the Great Hall. A few minutes later, he returned without Harry. She could feel Harry's anxiety growing. Once she finished the exam, she left the Great Hall quickly.

"He's probably in the common room" said Ron.

She, Hermione, and Ron went up the staircase. As they reached the first floor, they saw Harry rushing towards them.

"Harry! What happened? Are you ill?" asked Hermione.

Taking Evani's hand, he brought them into an empty classroom. He shut the door and told them that Voldemort captured Sirius. Evani thought back to the images she saw in his head. Ron and Hermione questioned him about what he saw. Harry claimed that Sirius was at the end of row 97 and Voldemort was going to kill him. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"So how will we get there? Evie, you could apparate us there, right?"

"G—get where?" asked Ron.

"Get to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius!"

Hermione looked reluctant to speak up. "Harry, how did—Voldemort get in there without anyone seeing? It's four in the afternoon. The Ministry is filled with people…how could they get in undetected?"

"Maybe he has an invisibility cloak. Besides, the Department of Mysteries has always been empty when I'm there"

"You've never been there"

"This isn't a dream! How do you explain the thing with Ron's dad?"

"But it's so unlikely. How could he get Sirius at Grimmauld Place?"

Ron shrugged. He suggested that Sirius could have left the house for a quick walk. Sirius was known to be a bit reckless. Evani did not trust these visions. Dumbledore wanted him to shut the connection between him and Voldemort for a reason. Harry's temper was rising with each of Hermione's questions. She questioned why Voldemort would use Sirius to get the weapon. Ron seemed to be siding with Harry. He came up with a crazy theory that Sirius's brother, who had been a death eater in the first war, could have known how to get the weapon and told Sirius before he died. Harry agreed, thinking it was why Sirius was cooped up in Grimmauld Place all the time. Hermione and Evani shared an uneasy glance. Evani found it very unlikely. If the death eaters could not get to this weapon for months, what made Sirius any different? Hermione said that they had no real proof of Sirius being in the Ministry.

"Hermione, Harry's seen them!" said Ron.

"I'm just going to say it. Harry, you have a bit of a _saving-people thing_"

Harry glared. Hermione bit her lip lightly. She explained that Harry had a tendency to be the hero. She thought that Voldemort might be using that against him, knowing his personality.

"What if he's just trying to get _you _into the Department of Myst"

"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not. They've taken McGonagall to St Mungo's, there isn't anyone from the Order left at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!"

"But Harry, what if your dream was…just that, a dream?"

Harry turned to Evani. He urged her to convince Hermione that it was real. She sided with Hermione. This vision just did not make sense. It was too coincidental that it showed Sirius being tortured, the person who Harry cared about most in his life. She gave another possible explanation. Voldemort was a powerful and manipulative wizard. By now, he knew a lot about Harry and his personality. He could be putting illusions into his head to get him into a trap. Harry scoffed.

"Evie, that's ridiculous"

"It is not! I've done that before!"

They looked at her, confused. She never liked talking about her past, especially things that happened during the first few months after Alec's arrest.

"It was after Alec was arrested. I was in this really dark place. My emotions were hard to control and it made my magic unstable. Everyone at school was pitying me and I hated it. This one girl, Jane Weston…no one really liked her. She was the outcast in the school. She always wanted to be popular so she'd try to talk to me and my friends. Jane was a reporter for the school paper and she wanted to do a story about Alec. She wouldn't stop pestering me so I pulled a prank. I told her my friends and I were shooting a movie in the cemetery. I convinced her that if she helped, I would get her a date with Ryder. So she came and I put these terrible images in her head. It got so bad that she killed herself to stop the pain"

Hermione and Ron were silent. Harry shook his head. He said it was different. She could tell that this vision had been a lie. Voldemort was not an idiot. Both he and Evani knew how to manipulate people emotionally. Harry refused to see any other alternative.

"I know he's there!"

The door opened. Ginny, Luna, and Serena walked into the classroom.

"We heard Harry's voice. What are you yelling about?" asked Ginny.

"Nothing" he replied, roughly.

Ginny crossed her arms. "You don't have to be rude. I was wondering if we could help"

"Well you can't"

"Yes they can. Harry, we need to see if Sirius really left" said Evani.

Evani gave him a pleading look. She did not want him to rush into the Ministry and get himself killed. This was not the best time for Harry to act reckless. She suggested that they use Umbridge's fireplace to check Grimmauld Place. Serena nodded.

"We can act as lookouts"

"Serena and I can tell her that we saw Peeves smashing up the Transfiguration classroom. It's the farthest from her office" suggested Ron.

"And Luna and I can keep people out of the corridor by making up some story" said Ginny.

"Then you can check for Sirius while Hermione and I stay by her door. You can't go in there alone" said Evani.

After a bit of reluctance, he agreed to the plan. They agreed to meet at the DADA corridor while he retrieved his invisibility cloak. As they walked up the staircase, Hermione looked at her. She asked if the story about Jane was true.

Evani nodded. "I'm not proud of it. At first, I didn't care. Then a few weeks later, they found her body. I made it look like a suicide with a note and everything. No one questioned it because she was a loner and had a history of depression. I saw her family at the funeral and what I had done finally hit me. Jane was just there at the wrong time. Anyone else could've been the one to provoke me"

"That auror never harmed Pansy, did he? It was you. What happened to her sounds very similar to Jane"

"I was defending Serena. That's different"

"It isn't. No one deserves that. Promise me you won't do something like that again. You want to prove to Dumbledore that he was wrong to compare you to Voldemort? Then you can't hurt someone just because they anger you"

"I promise. I'm not like that anymore"

Ron and Serena headed off to go find Umbridge. Harry met up with the rest of them, holding the invisibility cloak. Evani told Ginny and Luna that the warning signal was singing '_Weasley Is Our King_' if Umbridge, Filch, or anyone from Inquisitorial squad was near the corridor. They stood at the end of the corridor, shooing kids away. Ginny made up a convincing excuse about a spread of garrotting gas, which would severely hurt anyone who passed it. Once the crowd vanished, he put the cloak over him, Evani, and Hermione. They went over to Umbridge's office. He took out a knife he received from Sirius last year. It could open any lock, even if it was protected by enchantments. He put the knife in the keyhole. Turning it, he opened the door. He tossed the cloak aside. Rushing to the fireplace, he bent down and threw floo powder into the flames. Evani peeked out the door. There was no one near the corridor. She heard Kreacher's voice.

"Master has gone out, Harry Potter"

"Where's he gone? Where is he, Kreacher?"

Kreacher let out a wheezy cackle. "I'm warning you!"

Quickly, she bent down into the fire. She saw Kreacher in front of the fireplace. Bandages covered his hands. His ears wiggled.

"Miss Evie" he said, giving a small bow.

"Kreacher, is anyone else here?"

"No, miss, only Kreacher"

"Where is Sirius? Please tell me"

Kreacher claimed that Sirius did not tell him where he went. Harry threatened him. Evani nudged his shoulder. She told him to be nicer to Kreacher. He muttered about the house-elf being an evil little snot.

"Kreacher, where's Sirius? It's important to me. Please don't lie" she said.

"Kreacher will not lie, miss. Miss is far kinder than the other ungrateful brats that my Master let into this home. Master will not come back again from the Department of Mysteries!" he replied, gleefully.

Before Harry could say anything, there was a tug on the back of Evani's head. She got pulled from the fireplace, seeing Umbridge. Her other hand was on Harry's hair. She bent Harry's head far back.

"You think that after two nifflers, that I would allow any more foul creatures into my office? I had stealth sensoring spells placed around the door, you foolish boy. Take their wands. Hers as well"

A hand reached into her cardigan. Immediately, it retracted. The person complained that her wand had burned them. Umbridge attempted to grab it but experienced the same pain.

"Then keep her restrained properly"

Evani was pushed into someone's arms. She looked up to see Draco. He kept her hands behind her back. Millicent had Hermione pinned against the wall. Seth was by the doorway, fixing a burn on his hand.

"Evie, are you trying to get arrested?" Draco hissed in her ear.

"No"

"What were you doing? Umbridge already wants to kill you"

"That toad-faced bitch doesn't scare me"

"Say that Potter forced you to come. She'll throw you in Azkaban…especially after last night"

"I'm not going to lie"

As Draco quietly pleaded with her, Umbridge questioned Harry. He lied that he was looking for his Firebolt. Umbridge did not believe him. She noted that his head had been in the fire. He would not tell her who he was communicating with in the fireplace. Angrily, she threw him into the desk. He clutched his stomach. Evani tried to move towards him. Draco kept her back.

"Evie, I'm begging you. Say that you had no part in whatever Potter was planning...stop making things worse for yourself" he whispered.

"Trust me, they can't get any worse"

"Burke, take hold of Miss Rybek. I believe that Mister Malfoy is far too—attached"

Seth grabbed her, roughly. His arm wrapped tightly around her throat. Draco glared at him. Hermione struggled against Millicent. There was a large commotion outside. More Slytherins entered, restraining Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Serena. While Pansy held her, Serena tried to kick her shins. To her surprise, she saw Adrian holding Neville. He told Umbridge that Neville tried to keep him from taking Ginny. She looked pleased.

"Well it seems Hogwarts will be a Weasley-free zone soon, doesn't it?"

The Slytherins sniggered. Umbridge turned to Harry and forced him to sit in a chair.

"So Potter, you stationed lookouts by my office and sent these fools"

She indicated Ron and Serena, who both glared. "To tell me the poltergeist was wrecking the Transfiguration classroom when I knew that he was smearing ink on the eyepieces of all of the telescopes, which Filch told me. Clearly, you were speaking to someone. Was it Dumbledore? Or the half-breed Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall…I hear she is too ill to talk to anyone"

Evani was being overwhelmed with rage. She wanted to crack her head open. He replied that it was none of her business. Umbridge smacked him hard. She told Draco to find Snape. He left the office. Evani tried to think of a good escape plan. She could not let Umbridge hurt her friends. As the others attempted to hit the Slytherins, Evani moved her hips slowly against Seth's body. She could feel him tense up.

"Stop moving, Rybek" he hissed.

"Sorry"

After a few seconds, she did it again, feeling a hard sensation against her back. He growled.

"You're still moving"

"Was I? Didn't notice"

"Stop it"

Draco returned with Snape. Umbridge was asking him to make veritaserum to interrogate Harry. She became angry, hearing that he had none left in his storage. Apparently, she had used the last of his stock when interrogating Harry and other students. While they argued back and forth, Evani moved her fingers along Seth's shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I know you like it. I know what you want. I see all your little fantasies in your head" she whispered, seductively.

The grip on his wand was faltering. Snape started to leave.

"He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot in the place where's it hidden!" said Harry.

"Padfoot? What is Padfoot? What is he talking about, Snape?"

The expression on Snape's face was unreadable. He said that Harry had been shouting foolish nonsense. To her dismay, he left the room. Everyone was distracted with Umbridge's interrogation of Harry. Evani decided to continue her plan.

"You don't even want Tracey. Your father's forcing you since her father is a collector of rare objects with dark magic. You wish it was you kissing me instead of Draco. You've dreamt about it a lot…how my skin feels…how I taste…"

His hand slid up the back of her skirt. He kissed her neck, hungrily. She felt nothing but disgust. Playing along, she let out a quiet moan.

"Seth, don't stop"

His hand began pushing up her skirt from behind. She heard his pants unzip.

"Draco doesn't deserve you"

"No. He's pathetic. I want to be yours"

Her hand slid down his jeans. His breath shortened. She used the distraction to headbutt him into the wall. He held his nose, groaning. She grabbed his wand, pointing it at his chest. A force tugged at her navel, putting her in a chair beside Harry. Umbridge snatched the wand from her. Seth took it back, stopping his nosebleed.

"You're a very manipulative one, aren't you, Rybek?"

Evani glared. "If Potter won't give me answers, perhaps you will"

"You have a better chance of getting me in bed, toad"

"Do not think I will not drag you by your pretty little hair to the American Ministry"

Umbridge smiled, nastily. On her desk, the article from _The Chronicle_ appeared. She picked it up.

"The female you know who" she said, reading the title of the article about Evani.

Umbridge read a few lines. "A danger to all, responsible for the deaths of countless aurors and assault of the charming Declan Bass, who only wanted to help her see the right path. Such a young age but could she be the next dark wizard, bringing about darkness that we have not seen since the days of you know who?"

Hearing the words enraged her. It took a lot of restraint to calm her down. Neville and Luna were looking at her, confused. Most of the Slytherins, except Draco and Seth, had surprised expressions. Draco shook his head very slightly.

"Don't make her mad" he mouthed.

"Dumbledore is a forgiving one. Letting half-breeds teach and murderers among his students"

"Shut up!" said Harry, angrily.

"Cooperating would be in your best interest, Miss Rybek. Declan would be very pleased to see you returned home. I find it very convenient that he went missing just when he was about to pass a law to require students to go to school in their home country…something heavily supported by the International Confederation of Wizards. Did you have a hand in his disappearance? I don't believe that Gage Greengrass would do such a thing"

"Clearly, you're blind to the fact that Gage is mentally insane"

Daphne glared harshly. Evani forgot that they were siblings. Umbridge leaned closer.

"Do not lie to me. You have no respect for authority or order. It would be a pleasure to catch you in a lie. I'll ask you again. Did you kidnap Declan Bass? Was it some conspiracy plot between you and Dumbledore?"

Hagrid's words from Dumbledore entered her mind. If Dumbledore was here, he would tell her the same thing. Why should she hide her real self? At this point, she was going to be expelled or possibly imprisoned. She had nothing to lose. Crinkling her nose, she changed into Bass. Draco was the only one to not jump in surprise. Umbridge looked taken aback. She quickly replaced the shock with an angered expression.

"Do not play games with me"

Evani pouted. "Aw, you don't like games? You want to know where he was? He was exactly where he deserved to be"

She turned into Fudge. "And where I'll be when everyone realizes what a pathetic, cowardly little shit I am"

Umbridge was shaking in anger. "You insolent brat!"

She turned into Umbridge. "Is something the matter, dear?"

"Do not toy with me, Rybek"

"Of course not. That is not a Ministry-approved activity"

Ginny let out a small giggle. Pansy pulled her hair roughly. Evani returned to her normal self. Umbridge's eyes bulged out in anger.

"Get out of this office at once! You are going straight to the Ministry! Mister Malfoy, escort her outside and I will have aurors waiting"

Draco grabbed her arm, taking her out of the office. Once they were down to the ground floor, he brought her into a dimly lit corridor.

"What part of 'Don't make her mad' do you not understand?"

"Oh stop worrying"

"Evie, she's having you arrested! I'm not taking you to the aurors. We're leaving"

"For where?"

"My parents have a summer home. You can hide there until I figure out what to do"

Evani saw the aurors nearing the castle. She turned to Draco. He was still panicking about how to help her.

"This is for your own good"

"Wh"

She touched his shoulder. Draco fainted, crumpling to the floor. She transfigured into a cat. Umbridge was going down the staircase with Harry and Hermione. Evani scurried over to them. Hermione picked her up.

"I lied to Umbridge, saying Dumbledore made a weapon. Go get the others. I have a plan to get her away from us. Meet us at the edge of the forest"

Evani nodded slightly. "Granger, what is that?"

"M—my cat, professor"

"Focus, girl. Put down that filthy animal"

She put Evani back on the floor. Evani went up to Umbridge's office. Seth was digging his wand into Serena's side. He taunted her about Evani getting taken away by the aurors. She glared.

"She's not going anywhere"

He scoffed. "They're going to chuck her in Azkaban. I bet she gets the dementor's kiss"

"Shut up! You can stop pretending, Seth. It's obvious that you want her but you're jealous that she chose Draco instead" she snapped, making him snarl.

"They'll never hold Evie. She could escape Azkaban with her eyes closed" said Ginny.

Evani placed a paw along the ground. Ice began to form, encasing them up to their necks. The Slytherins attempted to move. She stepped onto the ice. Going over to Ron, she conjured a small flame on her tail. It thawed out the ice. He used his wand to free the others.

"Weasley, get us out!"

"Don't think so, Zabini"

Evani transfigured back into herself. She kissed Seth's cheek.

"Bye, lover. Don't get frostbite"

"Rybek, let me out now!"

They left the office. As they headed down the stairs, she told them the plan from Hermione.

"You're going to meet them there"

"Y—you're not coming?" asked Serena, confused.

"I have something to do"

"Evie, the aurors won't take you. You didn't" started Ron.

"I'll meet you there. Pinky promise. Just be careful"

She winked at them and apparated out of the castle…


	67. Chapter 67: Department of Mysteries

She winked at them and apparated out of the castle. In an instant, she landed outside of an enormous mansion. Two burly men appeared in front of her. Before they could even say a word, she incapacitated them with a spell. She entered the mansion. Near the front door, there were photos of three children, a girl in her late teens, a boy around 11, and another boy around 6. The oldest boy had pictures of him in quidditch gear, holding a beater's bat. She found the bat inside one of the closets.

"Sweetheart, is that you?"

"Yes, darling. I'm in the kitchen" she said, altering her voice.

Evani leaned against the wall. As someone entered the kitchen, she swung the bat, knocking them down. Declan was on the floor, panting. She kept the bat pressed into his chest.

"Hello precious. Miss me?"

"If you think you can kidnap me again"

"I don't do the same thing twice. Something's going down tonight at the Ministry. I'm sure you were invited"

"As soon as you disguise yourself as me, I would warn Tom. You're out of ideas"

"Actually, I learned about a new trick in this special book from my ancestors. I think I want to test it"

Bass clutched his chest. Within a few minutes, he fell unconscious. Evani bent down to him, touching his cheek. She went over to a mirror in the hallway. Once she straightened out her clothes, she apparated, landing in front of Draco's manor. Going up to the door, she rolled up her sleeve. She pressed her wrist against the handle. The door swung open. She stepped into the mansion. It was similar to Sirius's home yet far less dusty and unkempt. She walked along the hallway. As she turned a corner, she saw a middle-aged man who was tall and muscular with a hard face.

"Good, you're here"

"Did you doubt I would come, Macnair? We've had this planned for a while. I would never betray him. He knows of my true loyalties no matter how well I fool everyone else"

"We're getting ready. He says that Potter is about to go to the Ministry"

She followed him into the living room. There was about a dozen men waiting, including Mr. Parkinson and the escapees from Azkaban.

"Well, look who decided to show up"

She turned around to see a woman with ghostly pale skin, dark heavily lidded eyes, and long wavy ebony hair, wearing a tight-fitting corset-style long-sleeved dress that reached to her knees. Evani recognized her as Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus, and his younger brother Rabastan were known for torturing Neville's parents shortly after Voldemort disappeared. She smirked.

"I was hoping you'd make it. I know you love to torture"

"An interest that we share" she replied, making Bellatrix cackle.

Voldemort entered the hallway with Malfoy. He walked over to her and Bellatrix. As he got closer, Bellatrix had this adoring gleam in her eyes.

"I was beginning to think you might not come tonight"

"It was a bit difficult to get away but I managed. No one suspects a thing"

She heard multiple people apparate into the manor. "Seth, oh my goodness!"

"What did that foolish boy do now?" he hissed.

They left the room, entering the main hallway. She saw Draco and his friends. Only Draco was not covered in nasty cuts and burns on his skin. Evani had mixed a burn hex into the ice that trapped the Slytherins in Umbridge's office. It caused their injuries. Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Malfoy used various spells to heal them.

"Who did this to you?" asked Mrs. Burke, concerned.

"I don't want to talk about it" muttered Seth.

"Where is your sister?"

"With Potter"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. Seth told him how Serena was helping Harry. He suggested that she be taught a good lesson. Draco was staring at Evani, looking confused and a bit angry.

"Draco, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost" said his mother.

"Nothing"

Malfoy began to review the plan. Draco walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Draco"

"Don't do it"

She looked at Draco. "I know she's with Potter but you can't hurt her. If you do, I'll"

"You'll what?"

"I'll do anything you want. Just please don't hurt Evie, Declan. You've put her through enough to emotionally scar her for a lifetime. If she gets even the tiniest scratch, I'll kill you myself"

Evani tried to remain unfazed. She scoffed.

"You're a pathetic little boy, you know that? What would your father think, feeling sorry for a mudblood?"

Draco glared. "Don't call her that. Evie's—different"

"Your feelings do not affect me, Draco. Everyone will get exactly what they deserve"

She got distracted by an argument between Seth and Voldemort. Apparently, the guys were supposed to be going to the Ministry tonight with the other death eaters. If they successfully helped with the mission, they would receive their dark marks tonight. Considering that Evani had beaten the guys up quite easily, Voldemort did not want to risk putting them in the Ministry. Seth argued that it was a one-time mistake. Voldemort said he could not afford anything going wrong. When he told Seth that he was not ready, Seth looked frustrated. His mother tried to comfort him. She told the guys to go into the living room while she and Mrs. Malfoy made them some snacks. Draco followed his friends out of the hallway.

"Potter's arrived at the Ministry, sir" said Jugson, looking at a map.

"Get going. Lucius, do not fail me. If you do, there will be consequences" said Voldemort.

"I won't fail"

They put on masks with snake-like eye slits and apparated into the Ministry. Following Malfoy, they went into the Department of Mysteries. Bellatrix was practically bouncing with excitement. They walked along the rows. Evani kept Declan's wand by her side.

"You brat, I'll—shut up or it's permanent. He knows the truth. Yea, I doubt it, loser" she heard in her head as she mentally argued with Declan.

Near one of the farther rows, she saw Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Serena, Luna, and Neville. Rodolphus sneered about Serena being a disappointing child for going against her father. Dolohov said she would be taught a personal lesson about loyalty later. Harry was holding one of the glass spheres. Mr. Parkinson chuckled.

"Foolish boy. I knew he'd be dumb enough to fall for the ruse"

She realized that Sirius was not in the Ministry. Like she assumed, Voldemort faked an illusion, knowing the close relationship between Sirius and Harry. She glanced around at the surrounding orbs, curious about what they contained. Harry stood in front of the others, holding his wand out.

"Where's Sirius?"

"You know, you really should learn to tell the difference between dreams and reality"

Malfoy waved his wand, making the mask vanish. The rest did the same.

"You saw only what the Dark Lord wanted you to see"

Harry's glare faltered a bit. It was now clear to him that he had been tricked. Malfoy ordered him to hand over the prophecy. She looked at the sphere in Harry's hand. Harry kept it by his side. Was this what the death eaters had been attempting to snatch all this time? How hard could it be to get some glass orb? She thought that the prophecy must have something to do with Voldemort. It was the only explanation for his obsession with it.

"If you do anything to us, I'll break it"

Bellatrix cackled. "Oh, he knows how to play. Itty, bitty, baby Potter"

"Bellatrix Lestrange" whispered Neville, nervously.

"Neville Longbottom, is it? How are Mom and Dad these days?"

Rodolphus and Rabastan sniggered. "Better now that they'll be avenged"

Harry kept Neville from raising his wand. Malfoy did the same for Bellatrix. He hissed at Bellatrix to not act rashly. They needed to ensure the prophecy remained intact.

"You need more persuasion, Potter? Very well, take the smallest one. Let him watch us torture her. Declan and I will do it"

Serena moved Ginny behind her, protectively. Harry glared at Evani.

"Where is your dear little American friend, Potter?" asked Malfoy.

"Probably too frightened to leave her room. She's been hiding like a scared little child" said Evani.

"Shut up! She's ten times the wizard you'll ever be, you manipulative snake!" yelled Harry.

Evani smirked, trying to act like Declan. Malfoy told Harry that they just wanted the prophecy. Harry asked why Voldemort was interested in it. Bellatrix's eyes lit up with fury.

"You dare speak his name?! You filthy halfblood!"

"Did you know he's a halfblood too? Yea, his dad was a muggle, mom was a witch"

Hermione made an exasperated face behind Harry. Bellatrix was about to curse him. Evani stopped her.

"Don't…not until we have the prophecy"

"He dares"

"Once we have it, you can torture him all you like, Bella"

Malfoy explained that the prophecies could only be retrieved by who it referred to and that this prophecy was about Voldemort and Harry. He said that it would tell Harry why they had that mind connection and the reason behind Voldemort being unable to kill him as a baby. Harry looked a bit curious. He glanced from the prophecy to Malfoy.

"All those answers are in your hand. Just hand me that prophecy and I can show you everything"

"I've waited 14 years"

"Oh, I know"

"Guess I can wait a little longer"

Together, the seven of them cast stunning spells. Evani apparated quickly. She stayed out of the fighting, secretly incapacitating a few death eaters. When she heard a frustrated yell, she followed it to see Rodolphus. Harry and the others had escaped into a different room.

"Where are they now?" asked Evani.

"The Death Chamber"

"Enough of this foolishness. We cannot fail" said Malfoy.

Only seven of them left, they apparated. They entered one of the rooms where there was a large archway with a tattered black veil. She could hear voices coming from the archway, sounding ethereal. As the death eaters used smoke to disorient them, Evani grabbed Hermione. She kept a tight grip on her shoulder, holding Declan's wand to her neck. Hermione struggled against her.

"Stop it. It's me"

"I know exactly who you are"

"No, Hermione. It's—you filthy mudblood"

"Shut the hell up! Don't call her that! It was meant for you" she said in her head, arguing with Declan again.

He was struggling to fight for control. Evani shook her head.

"Just trust me" she whispered to Hermione.

Not understanding, Hermione looked frightened. Harry was the only one not being restrained. He got up, weakly, still holding the prophecy. Malfoy walked over to him.

"Did you really think…were you naïve enough to believe that children stood a chance against us?"

Bellatrix smirked, holding onto Neville. "We are older, more powerful. No child could fool us, Potter"

Malfoy stretched out his hand. He threatened that if Harry did not hand over the prophecy, he could watch his friends die. Harry glanced around at all of them.

"Hermione, listen to me. I won't let them take the prophecy and"

"You're not going to bribe me to get to Evie"

"No, that's not what I—you insolent—shut up"

"You're mental" she hissed.

"Don't give it to him, Harry!" said Neville.

Bellatrix hit his throat with her wand. Not wanting to see his friends hurt, Harry gave the orb to Malfoy. He lifted it up, smugly. Evani was about to hex Malfoy. Her body twitched. Instead of hitting his side, the jet of light moved just above Malfoy's arm. He turned towards her.

"Declan"

"The little bitch tried to take my wand"

Hermione shook her head,frantically. Acting like Declan, she tugged on her hair. She felt bad but she needed to make it believable.

"Let me teach her a lesson"

The other death eaters looked eager. "No!" said Harry.

"I'm going to have you screaming for mer"

Evani felt a force knocking in her head. The spell was beginning to wear off. In the Pendragon book, it mentioned how it took a lot of magic to maintain control for extended periods of time. She held her stomach. Something pushed against her insides. She fell to her knees.

"The mudblood cursed him" snarled Rabastan.

"You'll pay for that, girl" said Dolohov.

Evani began coughing violently. A second later, she was surrounded in black smoke. As the smoke cleared, she saw Bass unconscious and everyone staring at her. Her entire body felt weird. Being inside Bass's body was not a fun experience. The death eaters looked taken aback. Bellatrix's eyes flickered from her to Bass. Malfoy sneered.

"You impudent child! You dare"

She pushed her hand forward. A gust of air struck Malfoy, making him fly back a few feet. There was a loud smashing sound, followed by smoke rising. The prophecy had smashed. She saw bursts of white light form around the room. Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody appeared. They began fighting the death eaters.

"E—Evie" said Hermione, shakily.

"I tried telling you. I guess I was too convincing"

She made Hermione hide in one of the ditches. Harry was behind a large boulder. She rushed over to him.

"Evie, how"

"It doesn't matter. Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry. You said—I should've…"

"Forget it. We have to focus on not getting killed"

Sirius appeared next to them. He told them that they needed to get their friends together and leave the Ministry. Harry refused, wanting to help Sirius. A jet of red light struck the boulder. Malfoy was nearby, his wand raised.

"Rybek"

Sirius tried to keep her down. "Get off, Sirius. He called me out. If he wants a fight, he's got one"

"Evie, no"

She took out her wand. Harry jumped beside her. Malfoy shot a spell. She put up a shield to protect Harry. Dolohov and Rodolphus appeared near Malfoy. Sirius, Evani, and Harry dueled them. Sirius knocked out Dolohov while Harry fought Rodolphus.

"Expelliarmus!"

Rodolphus's wand flew out of his hand. "Nice one, James" said Sirius.

Harry smiled. Sirius knocked Rodolphus back into a crevice. Evani fought fiercely with Malfoy. She made a slashing movement with her wand. A wave of light passed over him. Nothing happened. He chuckled softly.

"Your little spell didn't work"

Blood began to seep through his shirt. Cuts formed along his chest and face. He crumpled to the ground. Harry's eyes widened. Evani smirked.

"No. It just takes a while"

Suddenly, a jet of green light struck Sirius's chest. He stumbled, falling into the veil. Bellatrix looked gleeful. Evani waited for him to come out. Part of her knew that he was not returning. Lupin held Harry back. Harry was becoming frantic, screaming for Sirius. Tears filled her eyes.

"Get him, save him. He only just went through!"

"He's gone, Harry"

Harry turned to her. "Evie, bring him back. Do something"

"I can't. He's d"

"He's not dead! He's just—we can get him. Sirius!"

Harry kept calling for him. Sirius did not emerge from the veil. Evani hugged Harry. He was shaking. She kissed his cheek.

"Harry, it'll be okay. I'm here for you"

He wrenched himself out of Lupin's grip and ran towards an open door. Bellatrix was slipping through it.

"Harry, wait!"

Lupin grabbed her arm. "Evie, don't. You need to stay here"

"She'll kill him"

Evani chased after them. She tracked Harry up to the Atrium. Bellatrix was on the floor, breathing heavily. Harry had his wand pointed at her. He moved his head as if someone controlled him. Voldemort appeared behind him, silently. Harry turned around but his wand was knocked out of his hand.

"So weak. He is not lying, Bella. The prophecy was smashed. Months of preparation and my death eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again"

Bellatrix became hysterical. "I didn't know. Master, I"

"Be quiet, Bella. I will deal with you later. Do you think I care for your sniveling apologies? I have nothing more to say to you, Potter. You've irked me for long enough. Avada kedavra!"

Evani pushed the floor up to deflect the spell. The spell hit one of the statues on the fountain, severing its head. She appeared beside Harry. Voldemort smirked.

"I should have expected some sort of manipulation from you, Evani. I was wondering why you weren't with Potter's little group. You're getting very good with your magic, aren't you? Being able to possess Declan…you played him very well. I must admit, your brilliance amazes me sometimes"

"You're going to have to go through me if you want to hurt Harry"

He chuckled. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want to personally duel you. Let's see just how skilled you are"

Voldemort raised his wand. Before she could do anything, Dumbledore emerged from one of the fireplaces. Apprehension flashed in Voldemort's eyes for a brief second.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom. The aurors are on their way"

"By which time, I shall be gone and you shall be dead!" he spat.

Dumbledore pushed Harry and Evani back towards the wall. The headless statue blocked them from harm. A spell almost hit Harry. Bellatrix was coming towards them. Evani ducked under the statue, preparing to duel. Declan appeared beside Bellatrix. He twirled his wand between his fingers.

"Nowhere to hide now"

She glared. "You're going to wish I let you rot in that prison cell"

Harry tried to go over to her but the statue prevented him. Evani fought them both at the same time. She made the witch statue pin Bellatrix to the floor. Bass vanished. Feeling him appear behind her, she crinkled her nose. He slammed into the fireplace. She went over to him. Flames from the fireplace surrounded him in a circle. He was kneeling on the floor, clutching his side.

"Are you going to kill me, Evani? Get justice for all the pain I've caused you? Forcing my delinquent son to toy with your emotions...separating you from your family..."

"Death is too good for you. I'm going to let you leave, Declan. You can take your family and hide somewhere. If I ever see you again or hear that you came after my friends or family, I will hunt you down like the dog you truly are..."

"Such compassion. I will never"

Suddenly, he threw dust into her face. She stumbled, wiping it from her eyes. The flames vanished. Declan stepped towards her. She pushed her hand forward. Nothing happened. It was like the night that her friends died. He laughed.

"Oh, don't bother. It's a special dust...capable of binding a wizard's magic for a short time. Not even you can reverse it"

Evani tried another spell. He lifted her by her neck.

"Not so tough without your magic, are you? You're just a weak little muggle like the rest of your family"

"You can't hurt me. The dragon's curse..."

"It won't enact until your magic returns. The pain I'll experience will be worth it. Tom has a use for you but scars and broken bones can heal over time"

His wand brushed against her arm. She cried out in pain as a deep gash formed. Declan smirked. He continued to hurt her, leaving bruises and cuts. Tears trickled down her face. He let her go, causing her to fall onto her back. She struggled to get up. A force pinned her down. He bent down to her.

"Does that feel familiar? You have your little secrets, Evani. Let me tell you one of mine"

His wand pressed into her side. She screamed, feeling her ribs crack one by one. He leaned close to her ear.

"I made you kill your friends"

Her heart raced with fear. "I knew one of the prisoners at Blackgate. He was being released the night of your little party so I gave him clear instructions. I told him to find a small pouch in a drawer in my study. It contained that dust and a little potion. I had him masquerade as one of the guests where he poured the potion into your drink. It made you give into all of those dark impulses and thoughts. He told me everything that happened. After you killed your friends, the light inside you punished you for such a cruel deed, causing your injuries. Once you fainted, he poured the dust on you. It was too little of an amount to keep your magic bound for long but it was very satisfying to hear that you were so frightened and helpless...just as you are now. He used dark magic to mess with your head and make you think that you were being restrained. He was supposed to bring you to me at the prison but you found that little werewolf friend of yours before he could"

Anger overcame her. She wanted to torture Declan until he begged for death. He was the reason that she lost her best friends. She could feel her magic slowly returning. Declan was too busy taunting her to notice. Her ribs repaired themselves.

"Why do you hate me so much, Declan? You can't be doing all this for that snake. He wouldn't want me hurt like this"

"It _is_ personal...but not towards you. I am doing this for your father. I was in love with your mother when we were teenagers. I tried so hard to win her over but he got in the way. He humiliated me. I couldn't let a muggle win against me. My family disapproved of my attraction to your mother so they used very powerful memory charms to erase me from their memories."

He touched her cheek. "You look just like her...but you are your father's daughter in miniature. I wanted to destroy him. Instead of simply killing him, I was going to achieve that through you. He took my happiness so I vowed to do the same to him. What better way than hurting his precious little angel?"

She remembered her mother talking about a guy from her past. It was on the night that Alec got arrested. Evani had spent hours in her room, crying. Her mother tried to comfort her, telling her that it was not her fault. She mentioned a guy named David who liked her a few years before she got married. Her mother called him very handsome but obsessive. Like Alec, he would get jealous of her with other guys, especially Evani's father. He even hurt her, bruising her arm, when she refused to go on a date with him. Her mother said it was a lesson that looks could be deceiving.

"You're a monster. You're just like Alec, deluded that she could want you. My mother has mentioned you...but she called you David. She said you were a stalker and a creep. She's only ever loved my father"

Bass snarled. She headbutted him hard. He fell back, holding his nose. Something erupted inside her. She slipped into a dream-like state. A voice called out to her. It said that seven months from her 15th birthday, she had to choose either light or dark magic. Her choice would have consequences for both sides. She snapped out of the dream and pinned Bass to the floor. Her hands had a golden glow. The glow formed around his entire body. After a minute, the glow vanished. She felt a surge of energy pass through her. It was like her power increased tenfold. Bass pushed her off of him. He pointed his wand at her face.

"Crucio!"

Nothing happened. He attempted other spells, getting the same result.

"What did you do?"

She looked at her hands, thinking about that energy inside her. "I took away your magic"

His eyes widened. "No. T—that's not possible…you—give it back"

"No"

"Give it to me!"

"You don't deserve it. It's your punishment"

Bass was about to hit her. She froze him with a spell.

"You have to pay for what you've done. All the pain and suffering you've caused…"

"You little brat! I don't need magic to strangle you with my bare h"

Waving her hand, she knocked him aside. It was with such force that he went through three walls. She smiled. Bass's power mixed with her own, giving her an incredible feeling. She ran over to Harry, who was still behind that statue...

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to give Declan some kind of personal motive for his actions towards Evani. Throughout the story, his treatment of her has gone beyond any of the other death eaters that Evani has met. Even Voldemort has not harmed her to the same extent as Declan. I thought it would be an interesting parallel to Evani and Alec's relationship. Declan had this unrequited love for her mother and his son got to achieve what he wanted with her through Evani. Declan and Alec do have very similar qualities. Both alienated the objects of their affections by their actions. It also parallels the hatred between Snape and Harry. Even though Harry has his mother's eyes, Snape only sees his father, a man that Snape hated for taking his one love. Similarly, Declan remarks that Evani looks just like her mother but has her father's attitude and spirit. Just like Harry is a reminder that James won over Snape, Evani is a reminder to Declan that her father beat him for her mother's love. Declan's motive, besides helping Voldemort, was to ruin her father's life by taking away something he loved dearly, which is Evani. Snape and Declan took very different paths from their loss. While Snape vowed to protect Harry out of love for Lily, Declan is doing the opposite with Evani, willing to destroy her emotionally and physically. I didn't give him this motive so that he becomes a fully sympathetic character and everything he's done to Evani can be forgiven. It just adds more layers to him. When I thought of the character, I had this idea in mind from the start because I didn't want Declan to be so evil for no reason. Like Evani, his past has affected his actions in the present. I also made a connection between their first meeting and this last encounter. When they first met, Declan claimed he would take Evani's magic away but it is simply a threat to scare her. In this chapter, it is an ironic twist that she does just that to him. It is a sort of personal justice for her to defeat the man who caused her to be thrown into the wizarding world and set off a chain of events that have included a lot of tragedy for her in the story.  
**


	68. Chapter 68: The Prophecy

She ran over to Harry, who was still behind that statue. Easily, she moved it aside. He asked what had happened to Bass. She told him about removing his magic. Harry's eyes widened.

"How? I've read about dust to bind it but...it's completely gone?"

"It—just happened. I think it went inside me. It feels amazing. I feel even stronger"

Dumbledore was watching her. For some reason, he looked troubled. She saw Voldemort about to use another killing curse. Evani waved her hand. His body froze, with his arm stuck in a bent position. He attempted to move.

"Evie, are you doing that?"

"I can feel his blood…I'm moving it. He's like a puppet"

"Evani" said Dumbledore.

She released her hold. Voldemort fell to the floor, panting. She joked about wanting to see Umbridge mess with them now. If that toad-faced tyrant threatened any of them, Evani would teach her a good lesson. Voldemort raised his wand, causing shards of glass to fly towards them. Dumbledore created a shield. As the glass hit the shield, it turned into sand. The sand covered an entire half of the atrium. Voldemort vanished. Keeping her guard up, she glanced around. She told Harry to not move.

"But he's gone"

"I can still feel him, sir"

"I can as well" said Dumbledore.

Suddenly, Harry clutched his scar. His body moved strangely as he fell to the floor. She saw his eyes flash red. Voldemort was possessing his body. Evani and Dumbledore bent down to him. Harry cried out in pain.

"You've lost, old man" said Harry, his voice a mix of his and Voldemort's.

"Harry"

"Kill me now. If death is nothing, kill the boy"

His body contorted. She bent down to him, worried. He panted heavily. Dumbledore told him it was the differences between him and Voldemort that mattered, not their similarities. Evani held his hand.

"You're the weak one. You'll never know friendship or love"

She felt his grip tighten on her. "And I feel sorry for you"

As he laid on his back, she sensed the possession ending. There was a swirl of dust around them. The dust cleared, showing Voldemort. All of the fireplaces produced green flames. Numerous wizards, including Fudge, emerged. Voldemort apparated out of the Ministry, along with Bellatrix.

"You will be mine, little Pendragon" she heard in her head.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

"Yes. Where's Voldemort?" he asked, weakly.

Evani helped him stand up. She kept her arm around him.

"Just relax. You're a little shaky"

Two of the fountain statues led Fudge forward. Proudfoot remarked that he saw Voldemort near the fountain. Fudge looked stunned, to say the least.

"Here—in the Ministry of Magic. How can this be?"

"If you proceed down to the Department of Mysteries"

All of their eyes went to Dumbledore. Some of the men raised their wands. Evani rolled her eyes. They were foolish to still distrust him. Everything he and Harry had been saying for months got proven in a few seconds.

"You will find several escaped death eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation jinx and waiting on your decision of what to do with them"

"Dumbledore? You—here—seize him!"

None of the men moved. They looked too shocked to even speak.

"Cornelius, I am prepared to fight your men. But a few minutes ago, you saw proof of what I have been saying for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned and it's time for you to see sense"

Fudge mouthed soundlessly. He turned to the aurors, telling them to go into the Department of Mysteries. Flustered, he asked Dumbledore what happened here.

"I will once I send Harry back to Hogwarts"

"Harry"

His eyes widened, seeing Harry and Evani behind Dumbledore. "What are children doing here?"

"I shall explain everything when Harry returns to school. Evani will remain with me to sort some things out"

Picking up the head of the wizard statute, he created a portkey. The head emitted a soft blue glow. Fudge started to reprimand him for making an unauthorized portkey. Dumbledore surveyed him over his glasses. Fudge shrank under his gaze.

"You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts. You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you…half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help from me you are, of course, more than welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the Headmaster will find me"

Fudge was silent, his face turning a bit pink. "I will see you in half an hour, Harry"

Harry touched the statue piece. In an instant, he vanished from the Ministry. Evani sat by the fountain, bored. Dumbledore went into a deep explanation with Fudge, who remained silent. She watched the aurors dragging up the captured death eaters. Malfoy struggled against Savage's grip. Savage told him that he would not be able to avoid Azkaban this time. Evani worried about Draco. How would he react to his father being in prison? Dawlish was holding a disoriented Bass. Fudge noticed him.

"Declan, goodness…what happened to you?"

"That is another matter to discuss"

Dumbledore went over to Evani. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You and I will go to the International Confederation of Wizards to have Declan's Minister position revoked"

"R—revoked? But"

"He is a death eater, one of Voldemort's top followers. He has been since the first war as I warned you numerous times though you did not listen"

Fudge looked from Bass to Evani. "Dumbledore"

"The article published in _The Chronicle_ was a lie, Cornelius. Evani is no more a dark wizard than I am. On Voldemort's orders, Declan attempted to snatch her"

"F—for what?"

"I will admit that she is a gifted witch but I will say no more. Declan threatened her and her family and if it were not for my decision to give her refuge at Hogwarts, she would certainly not be standing here. He has put her through enough grief for a lifetime. The aurors at the American Ministry refuse to serve him anymore"

Fudge asked Bass if he had anything to say in his defense. Bass was silent. His eyes went to Evani. He attempted to lunge at her. Dawlish restrained him.

"Get your hands off me! I'm going to strangle the little bitch until she dies in my grasp!"

"Take him to the holding cells with the rest, Dawlish"

"Yes, sir"

He forced Bass to move towards one of the lifts. "You haven't seen the last of me! I will make you and your entire family suffer! Do you hear me?!"

"Evani, I will ask you to return to the castle. We will speak after I am finished with Harry. You may visit your friends in the hospital wing"

She nodded and apparated out of the Ministry. A second later, she landed outside the castle. She ran up to the hospital wing. Her friends were all laying in beds. Pomfrey gave Hermione a potion to drink. Hermione clutched her sides. Ginny had her ankle wrapped while Serena had a sling for her right arm. Ron's arms were covered in deep welts and he looked a bit bemused. Neville and Luna suffered the least injuries. Pomfrey told her not to stay too long since they all needed to rest. She hugged Ginny and Serena.

"Thanks for tricking us"

"I couldn't have you in on it"

"It's scary how much you acted just like him. Where's Harry?" asked Serena.

"Talking to Dumbledore. I'd give him some time"

"Did you beat up my dad?"

Evani looked at Serena, surprised. She explained that she told the others the truth about her father. After going through an ordeal like this recent battle, she trusted them enough.

"No. I took care of Bass though. He's not going to be useful to your dad anymore"

They talked about the battle at the Ministry. Anyone who passed by would think they had been on some exciting adventure. None of them were too disturbed to speak about it. Serena told her about getting Bellatrix with a good stinging hex. She heard a knock on the door. Dumbledore was waiting. She did not even realize that it had been that long. Evani walked over to him. They headed down the staircase together. Once they left the castle, he held out his arm. They landed inside of an expansive building that reminded her of ancient Greece. The ceiling was high above, showing beautiful artwork. She followed Dumbledore down the corridor. The walls seemed to glow in silvery light. She noticed a room filled with glass orbs like the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore stopped in front of a large golden door.

"Sir, where are we?"

"The home of the Oracles"

He took out his wand, placing it against the door. "Albus Dumbledore"

The door swung open. She stepped into a pure white room, covered in murals, with large pillars and a silver basin in the middle. Evani saw Grimm walking towards them, wearing emerald silk robes. She quickly hid behind Dumbledore, remembering their last encounter. Even if Snape explained that his erratic behavior towards her had been due to excitement, it still scared her a bit. Dumbledore smiled down at her.

"There's no reason to be afraid"

Grimm shook his hand, enthusiastically. "Albus, it's been too long"

"Your visits have been less frequent"

"An old man like myself cannot be doing too much travel"

"You don't look a day past 150, old friend" he replied, making Grimm laugh.

As Grimm turned to her, he bowed. She was quiet.

"I'm afraid you gave her quite the fright from your first meeting, Everard"

"I apologize profusely, my dear. Meeting you…has been my dream for 140 years now"

Through one of the tall archways, a girl in her mid 20s entered the room. She had wavy raven black hair, shimmering silver eyes, and a petite figure. Her features were slightly similar to Grimm's. She was wearing a floor-length long-sleeved dress. Despite being so young, she had this air of maturity.

"You're doing a poor job of frightening her less" she said, having a German accent.

"Evani, this is Anna Grimm, Everard's daughter. She is the head of the Oracles"

Anna shook her hand, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person"

"Why are we here?" asked Evani.

"Because it is time that you hear the prophecy that pertains to you"

From the stone basin, a rusty chest levitated into the air. Grimm picked it up, placing it on one of the tables. She felt Anna watching her. Opening the chest, Grimm pulled out a large scroll. He unrolled it carefully. Words began to appear on the scroll.

"Born on the most magical of days at the magical hour, hope will return to the wizarding world. The marked one who possesses the dragon fire shall restore peace and repair what has been broken. All will envy their greatness and attempt to take it for themselves. They will push their envy aside when the time comes for the marked one to unite the wizarding world as one. But fear for a dark one who will attempt to keep her away from the light. For if he succeeds, instead of hope, the marked one will bring chaos and destruction. Her choice will affect those she cares for most"

Evani looked at Dumbledore. "It's talking about the Pendragon line, right? The dragon's curse…"

"Yes. It is safe to assume that this dark one is referring to Voldemort. He would have much to gain if you chose the side of dark magic. You need to maintain your innocence…no matter what temptations you face"

"What's the dragon fire?"

"A special gift that Annette Pendragon possessed. It can only be given to a Pendragon. The dragon fire has not been seen since her passing…until it appeared in you. This is why your mark has shown itself earlier than expected. During your fight with Declan, you finally tapped into that power when you removed Declan's magic. It is why you felt much stronger"

"The dragon fire enhances your gifts. You will be a very powerful witch, Evani. Now that you have accessed your inner magic, it will be much more harder to control" said Grimm.

Evani thought about how that was difficult already. Dumbledore assured that they would work together to maintain control. He explained the seriousness of the situation. Now that Evani had tapped into this dragon fire, something Voldemort was waiting for, he would immediately begin his attempts to snatch her. For this reason, he would enchant the castle with the strongest security measures. The entire time that both men talked, she simply nodded, barely listening. All she could think about was this prophecy. It put all kinds of weight on her shoulders. Last summer, she had been a care-free 14 year old girl who worried about studying for math tests and looking good for a movie date. In less than a year, her entire world had shifted. How could they expect her to handle all this responsibility? In her head, she contemplated just turning back time to prevent ever learning about the wizarding world but this all seemed inevitable. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Dumbledore say her name.

"Everard and I agree that this will be the best way to keep you safe from harm. When the term at Hogwarts is over, you will remain here"

Her eyes widened. "Here?"

"Yes, your family will be here as well. We offer them the same protection" said Grimm.

"But"

"This place is the most heavily protected of all in the world. Voldemort would never be able to get through it. It is not for the entire summer…just until Albus and I work out all of the proper safety measures"

"I think it's time to return to the school. You've had an eventful night"

"We will be seeing you again, Evani. I promise you will enjoy your stay" said Anna, kindly.

Evani and Dumbledore returned to the castle. He told her to get some sleep. She had just reached the seventh floor when a hand grasped her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Reese. She sighed with relief. He brought her into the Room of Requirement. They sat down on one of the couches. He asked if she had gotten hurt at the Ministry. She told him that she did not suffer any lasting injuries.

"I had the dream…like you said. This voice told me that I have to make my choice seven months from my birthday"

He smiled. "That's excellent. Soon, you will not be burdened by the curse. Did you tell anyone else about this dream?"

"No, just you. Dumbledore made me visit the Oracles. I got to hear about a prophecy that's about me. They said I have this dragon fire"

"I had a feeling you possessed it. You should feel very honored. Annette herself would be pleased that a strong witch like you received that gift"

Evani blushed. She mentioned the incident where she took Declan's magic from him. Reese did not look very surprised.

"All Pendragons have that ability. I remember the first time that happened to me. I took magic from a shepherd boy who had been harassing my sister. How did it feel?"

"Amazing. I've never felt anything like it"

"It's only the beginning, Evie. I'll be here to help you through it all"

"I want to hear about what it was like…before you lost your family. Every book I've read makes the Pendragons sound like monsters"

"It's a sad truth that history is written by the winners. Power makes people do unimaginable things. Our family suffered because of the envy and greed of others"

She spent the rest of the night in the Room of Requirement, listening to Reese's stories…


	69. Chapter 69: Choices

-Four days later- Ever since the events at the Department of Mysteries, both Evani and Harry became a bit distant. Harry was dealing with Sirius's death. He still denied it, thinking that Sirius would return through magical means. Besides losing Sirius, he also learned about the prophecy concerning him and Voldemort. It stated that Harry was some kind of Chosen One. When Voldemort attempted to kill him as an infant, the curse marked him as an equal, giving him the scar. The prophecy basically said that Harry had to be murderer or victim because neither could live while the other survived. She could not imagine him killing anyone. Voldemort was a very skilled wizard, giving him the advantage. It made Evani worry for Harry's safety. Evani was struggling with her own prophecy. Dumbledore made her swear to not tell anyone. Like Harry, she had this huge responsibility thrust upon her. She wanted to talk to Draco about it but he was not in the castle. Snape told her that he had gone home to comfort his mother. After the battle at the Ministry, the captured death eaters had been arrested and sent to Azkaban. She tried to call Draco but he never answered. Part of her thought that he blamed her for what happened to his father. Evani woke up, her head resting against someone's chest. Looking up, she saw Harry. His arm was around her waist, protectively. She sat up, finding herself in his room. They had been avoiding the rest of the school lately, not wanting to deal with incessant questions about the Ministry. She decided to stay with Harry to comfort him. If anyone understood what it was like to lose someone, it was her. Their time alone together reminded her of the summer at the Dursleys. He moved as though he was having a nightmare. She heard him muttering to himself.

"No. You can't—stop, don't"

"Harry"

His eyes popped open. He grabbed his glasses, putting them on, and turned to her.

"Evie" he said, relieved.

"It was just a dream"

"It's morning already?"

She nodded and suggested that they go to the hospital wing to visit their friends. Crinkling her nose, she got dressed. Harry did not want to go anywhere. She pleaded with him to not stay holed up in his room. Harry watched her as she brushed her hair. Ever since the Ministry, he became even more protective of her. He was concerned about Voldemort's interest in her and her abilities.

"Harry, stop looking at me like that. I'm not some helpless puppy. Voldemort isn't going to appear out of nowhere"

"I won't let him take you"

"I'm not going to give myself to him. Can we just not talk about it, please?"

He nodded and grabbed a shirt. Once he got dressed, they headed down to the hospital wing. Ron and Hermione were still in their beds. The others had less serious injuries so they healed within a day. Farther along, she saw Umbridge staring at the ceiling, looking very frazzled. The aurors had retrieved her from the Forbidden Forest. When Hermione and Harry brought her there, she angered the centaurs, causing them to take her. When the aurors found her deep in the forest, Umbridge was disoriented. She looked very untidy and did not even speak. If she heard any sounds resembling hooves, she would go into a panic. Luna was across from Ron, reading the Quibbler upside down. Neville, whose broken nose had been repaired, sat in a chair between the two beds. Ginny and Serena were next to Hermione's bed, talking quietly. Evani sat on the edge of the bed. Hermione was holding a copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Ron appeared to be fine, able to stuff his face with chocolate frogs. Evani asked how they were feeling. Hermione said they would be fine, her hand touching her ribs lightly. She told them about an article in the newspaper. It gave some details about the battle in the Department of Mysteries. Fudge finally admitted to Voldemort's return. Evani was angry that the Prophet acted as though they always believed Harry.

"A victim of ridicule? Yea, because of them"

"They'll never admit it was them" said Ron, his mouth full.

"Anything else in there?"

Hermione shook her head. Most of the articles written were about Voldemort, including tips for protection against death eaters. As she turned the page, her eyes widened. There was an article in the politics section about Bass.

"Americans up in arms over Minister's deceit" she said, reading the title.

"Good. Are they going to kill Bass for everything he's done?"

Hermione glared at Harry. He grabbed a chocolate frog from Ron's stash. Opening it, he said that Bass deserved it. The article listed all of Bass's corrupting dealings, including his association with Voldemort. The main focus of the article was on his treatment of Evani. Wizards back in the states had been furious when they learned the truth. They greatly disliked that numerous higher officials in the Ministry, especially the aurors, were aware of Bass's deceptions. The article quoted people saying that they wanted the aurors punished for going against their honor code to protect the wizarding community. It seemed that not a single person supported Bass. Remembering how things used to be, it was a complete reversal in terms of how they looked at Bass. Before, everyone idolized him as an ideal Minister of Magic and wonderful man. Learning his true nature was like a slap in the face. Evani scanned the article. American wizards sounded very heated. Her name kept being brought up. The writer of the article mentioned her ordeal, calling her an innocent child. She was surprised by some desiring to abolish the Ministry altogether. None of the American wizards wanted to deal with the corrupt government. Ministry officials even resigned from their positions, including James's mother. A large group had gone to the International Confederation of Wizards, intent on having the Ministry overthrown.

"That sounds like trouble" said Neville.

"I'm not surprised. This article says that Bass has been deceiving them since his first year as Minister. The Ministry is supposed to be there to guide the community. It's sparked a few revolts in other countires as well" said Hermione.

"Gran always said that the Ministries would fall. She'd prefer it going back to the Pendragons days"

"Well that will never happen. There are no Pendragons left"

Evani tensed up slightly. Serena was sure that the aristocratic purebloods would take advantage of these rebellions. She said that pureblood families always wanted to become the new nobility. It was a reason why many of them claimed a connection to the Pendragon line. This rebellion had not been the first time that wizards suggested a return to the old ways. The Malfoys were one of the top choices to become rulers of the wizarding world. She joked that it would have happened if Mr. Malfoy had not been caught at the Department of Mysteries. Ron grimaced at the idea of Draco as a prince.

"Any of those snakes as royalty? Fat chance. I'd rather get a dementor's kiss than worship them"

Hermione continued reading over the article. She turned the page.

"Well this won't die down soon. You're in here as much as Harry, Evie"

"Great"

Evani got off of the bed. She lied about having to call her parents and left the hospital wing. As she reached the ground floor, someone grabbed her arm. It was Harry. He knew that she made up that excuse. She sighed.

"I don't want to be the face of some uprising. I don't—I just wanted Bass to get what he deserved"

"He is, Evie. He lost his magic and he's in prison for life for his crimes. Everything will be okay. Maybe it's for the best not to have a Ministry there…at least for now. Bass really messed things up in the states. All of them are seeing him for who he really is and it's a hard adjustment"

"I guess so"

"Is something else going on? You've seemed distracted lately"

Evani resisted the urge to tell him about her Pendragon heritage and the prophecy. Quietly, she shook her head. They decided to go down to Hagrid's cabin to visit him. Harry hugged her, promising to always be there for her. He said that as long as they had each other, nothing would hurt them.

"Am I interrupting?"

Draco was coming out of the door that led to the dungeons. Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle followed close behind. She smiled, happy to see him for the first time since the Ministry. Her smile faltered at the enraged expression on his face, directed at Harry. His friends looked equally angry. He shoved Harry roughly, knocking him into the staircase.

"You're dead, Potter"

Harry did not look fazed. "Funny. You'd think I'd have stopped walking then"

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my father"

"I'm terrified now. I suppose Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you and your friends. Why do you look nervous? Aren't your dads friends with him?"

"You think you're so tough, don't you, Potter? You wait. You can't land my father in prison. The Dementors left Azkaban. My father and the others will be out in no time"

"I guess they will…but at least everyone knows what scum they are now"

Draco reached for his wand. Evani stopped him, grabbing his arm. Harry had taken out his wand from his jeans pocket. She told them both to stop fighting. As she attempted to calm them down, she heard someone shout Harry's name. It was Snape. Harry snarled a bit. He had blamed Snape for what happened to Sirius. When Harry told Snape that Sirius was in trouble, he acted as though he did not understand the message. He also put him at fault for making Sirius feel like a coward, which might have caused Sirius to go to the Ministry despite warnings to stay in his house. Snape asked what Harry was doing, his voice cold.

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir"

"Put that wand away at once. Ten points from Gryff—ah, I see there are no points left to take. In that case, we will need to"

"Add some more"

McGonagall walked into the castle, leaning on a walking stick. She looked much better than the night she went to St. Mungo's. Evani was relieved that she was back. McGonagall told Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise to take her things up to her office. They headed up the stairs.

"Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! Don't you agree, professor?"

"What? I suppose…"

"So that's fifty each for Potter, Longbottom, the two Weasleys, Granger, and Rybek. Oh and fify for Miss Lovegood and Miss Burke"

An enormous amount of rubies fell into the hourglass for Gryffindor. The hourglasses for Slytherin and Ravenclaw also received a small amount. When she deducted ten points from Gryffindor for Snape's punishment, it was like nothing changed. She suggested that they go outside on such a beautiful day. Instead of going to Hagrid's, Evani took Draco up to her room. She forced him to sit on the bed.

"This isn't Harry's fault. I get that you're mad about your dad's arrest but he didn't make your dad do anything. So don't"

"It's not about my dad. You can't be friends with Potter"

Evani crossed her arms. "I know you didn't just say that. I don't tell you to stop being friends with Pansy even though she's called me a boyfriend stealer and a slut every day since she found out about us. He's my friend so respect that"

"No"

"What do you mean, no? You don't trust me?"

"I don't trust him! He's in love with you, Evie!"

Her eyes widened slightly. "That's ridi" she started.

"It isn't ridiculous! He's always been in love with you! He dumped Chang!"

Evani argued that his breakup with Cho had nothing to do with her. He stopped dating Cho because she was too dramatic and weepy. Also, Cho defended her snitch friend Marietta after she got everyone in Dumbledore's Army in trouble. That angered Harry because he did not think Marietta should be forgiven for her blabbing. Draco claimed that he had just used Cho to make Evani jealous. He said Harry was blatantly in love with Evani, something he noticed since the train ride to Hogwarts. She scoffed. No one was going to stop her friendship with Harry. They had a special connection. He was the first wizard she truly met, the guy who kept her safe when Bass first attacked her and who introduced her to the wizarding world.

"He had his hands on you"

"It was a hug, Draco. I hug my brother…is he secretly in love with me too?"

"This was different"

"It isn't. Harry isn't a threat. You did this same thing with James. I am your girlfriend. I want to be with you and only you. What do I have to do to prove that?"

Draco stared at the floor. She sat beside him.

"I'm sorry. Seth got in my head. We were arguing about him kissing you in Umbridge's office and he said I don't deserve you. He's right"

"Of course he's not. Why do you listen to him? Seth just wants to cause trouble"

As she touched his shoulder, he winced. She noticed a cut peeking under his collar. Worried, she unbuttoned his shirt. His chest was covered in deep scars.

"Why were you really gone? Were you visiting your mother?"

"Yes. I saw her the night that you went to the Ministry. He wanted us to go with them but then said it would be too risky. When he came back from the fight and heard about everyone there getting arrested except for my aunt Bellatrix…he was furious. He took it out on me since my dad was in charge"

"He hurt you? I'll"

Draco kept her seated on the bed. He gave her a pleading look.

"No. Please just—don't get involved. I'm begging you, Evie. It's what he wants you to do. I can handle a few scars"

She touched the scars. Slowly, they began to heal. She did not like seeing him hurt. If he was not holding her down, she would go to see Voldemort and teach him her own lesson. The floor shook slightly. Draco held her hand.

"Don't lose control. Just relax"

"How can I relax when that lunatic"

Her eyes flickered to his wrist. He had the Dark Mark. Draco explained that not all of them received it, only him and Seth. Voldemort forced him to get it much earlier as a punishment for his father's mistakes. Having the mark meant that Draco could do missions like any other death eater.

"Your mother just let him do this?"

"She doesn't get a say, Evie. Besides, ever since my dad's arrest, she's been locked up in her room, crying. He won't make me do anything that involves you. He knows he couldn't trust me since we're together. You can't tell anyone. Even my friends don't know…except Seth"

"Are you scared?"

"A little. I've been trying not to think about it"

"You're not in this alone. I'll do anything to help. Let's go down to Hogsmeade"

She went over to the closet. As she grabbed one of her coats, she slipped into a dream-like state, similar to the night at the Ministry.

~_Evani found herself surrounded by darkness. It was impossible to see anything. An ethereal voice called out to her. She got forced into a room with two orbs. One orb was pure white with a golden glow, while the other orb had a black glow with shadows swirling inside it. The voice told her that her choice would lead to a sacrifice. If she chose light, the person closest to her on the side of dark magic would die. If she chose dark, the same would happen to a person on the side of light magic. She kept hearing these same words over and over again~_

Evani snapped out of her dream, still holding her coat. She thought about what the voice said. As she turned around, she looked at Draco. He was buttoning his shirt. The sleeve hid his Dark Mark. Her heart raced. If she chose light magic, it could mean that Draco died. He was not a bad person but he was a death eater. She thought about the person closest to her on the "good" side. If she chose dark magic, it would kill Harry. Reese never told her about that part of the curse. He always said it was merely choosing a side. How could she make a choice when it would kill either of them? She went over to Draco. He kissed her.

"I was worried that you weren't going to come back from the Ministry. I don't want you to worry about this mark, okay? It won't change anything between us. I'll always love you…until my dying day"

Evani followed him out of the room, holding back tears…

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is going to be the last chapter of this story. I am going to make sequels for sixth and seventh year. I already started to write the sequel for sixth year. These last two chapters will set up the conflicts in the next story. Part of the conflict will be the continuing struggle between Dumbledore and Voldemort to keep Evani on their side and Evani dealing with the dragon's curse. With the curse, there are now added stakes to her choice. Whichever side she chooses, there are big consequences. She is going to struggle with this sacrifice because it means losing Draco or Harry, two guys that she has been heavily involved with throughout this story. She does not want to lose Draco, who she loves, or Harry, who is like a best friend. Harry's feelings for Evani are going to be explored as well. It is not going to be pushed aside as Draco being jealous. There is a clear connection between Evani and Harry and it's always been possible that they could become a couple. Multiple characters in the story have noticed this connection as well, including Hermione who is very perceptive. The rebellion in the states is going to be a major part of the sequel in sixth year too. Serena mentions that many pureblood families have tried to restore the kingdom in the wizarding world, hoping to establish themselves as the new royalty. The question is what would happen if Evani was exposed as a Pendragon. Would the wizards accept her and want her to be in charge? Would the Ministries do to her what they did to Reese's family and kill her to maintain their power? **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	70. Chapter 70: Going Home

-Two days later- Evani was leaving the Slytherin common room. She had spent the night with Draco. The train was going to take everyone home today. Instead of going back to her room to pack her things, she went up to the fifth floor. She knocked on a door at the end of a side corridor. No one answered. She unlocked the door with a charm and entered the room. Reese was asleep on a bed. She had been wanting to talk to him since she had that day dream. At first, she tried to ignore it, thinking she misunderstood its meaning. The dream kept repeating itself. She hated hearing those words over and over again, making her feel worse. Her concern about this upcoming choice turned to anger towards Reese. He was someone who understood the curse better than anyone. When they spoke about the curse, he never mentioned someone having to die. Even if it was a random person with no connection to her, she could not let that happen. She grabbed a pillow and hit him over the head.

"Wake up, you liar!"

Reese sat up, rubbing the side of his head. She hit him directly in the face. He took the pillow from her.

"Evie, what are you doing?"

She glared. "You're a liar. You said you told me everything about the curse but you left out the little sacrifice part"

"It's 6 in the morning. This can wait until"

"It's not waiting! If you don't talk to me right now, I'll go tell Dumbledore the truth about you"

Suddenly, she was pinned to the wall, his hand around her throat. Reese's eyes had a shadow behind them. It reminded her of the orb in her dream. He glared, choking her. She tried to move her hand but he used a spell to keep her entire body frozen.

"You will not tell him anything. I won't tolerate disrespect"

"You picked dark magic"

"The choice doesn't matter. It's what you do with it. I chose the path that would lead me to power"

He let go of her throat. She breathed heavily. Learning that Reese chose dark magic made her look at him differently. She was unsure if she could trust him. Reluctantly, she asked who he had to sacrifice. He said that his younger sister died because of the curse.

"You didn't care?"

"The sacrifice is due to the large amount of magic we receive. My sister would have been a poor witch. I did her a favor…saved her a life of my father belittling her for her weakness"

"Well I can't do it. It obviously has to be a witch or wizard. I can't live with either choice"

"You can't break the rules here. You will make a choice. It's a small price to pay"

"But—I don't want to lose Draco…or Harry. They're important to me"

Reese did not seem very sympathetic. The spell was lifted, letting her move again. He told her that she could not be weak at a time like this. She looked at him, confused. He picked up a copy of _the Daily Prophet_ from his desk. Opening it, he showed her an article about the American Ministry. It was about the rebellion. Within a single day, it escalated quickly. Ministry officials were refusing to work and American wizards had started to protest at the headquarters for the International Confederation. Reese chuckled, reading about some of their tactics. She did not find any of it funny. It worried her that things could get violent.

"This is our opportunity"

"For what?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "For regaining what's rightfully ours. The Ministries will crumble one by one. This situation in the states is the spark"

"You want…to get rid of the Ministries? But not all of them are bad. I mean, the American Ministry was bad because of Bass and the one here was a bit messed up because of Fudge. It's not the Ministry itself. It's the people in charge. If they elected better"

"Evie, the Ministries are what destroyed our family. They were a mistake. These people want to get rid of that kind of government"

"But Dumbledore said not to tell anyone I'm a Pendragon"

"You won't yet. It has to be the perfect reveal. We can start planting ideas in people's heads over the summer while we're at your home"

She looked at him, confused. Reese was planning at staying at her house over the summer. He would just use a memory charm on her family to make them believe he was a distant cousin. She did not want him anywhere near her family. Reese was sounding as crazed as Voldemort, wanting to rule the wizarding world. She said that Dumbledore arranged for them to stay with the Oracles for most of the summer. His eyes narrowed.

"The Oracles? Why would you agree to that?"

"It's to keep me safe"

"The Oracles are the ones who predicted that our family would end. They cannot be trusted"

"Reese, I don't want people to know that I'm a Pendragon. I don't want to be a princess. This isn't the Middle Ages. If you want to expose yourself, go ahead. I've got enough problems and I don't need every Ministry targeting me for death because of my ancestors"

"Evie, we are in this together"

"We're not. I don't want your help with the curse. I don't care what you say. I will do anything to prevent anyone I care about from dying. This is the last conversation we're having. You might be stronger than me but it doesn't mean you're invincible. Anyone can be killed"

"You are making a very big mistake. You don't want me as an enemy, Evie. Voldemort is a saint compared to me"

She shrugged and walked out the door. When she returned to her room, Ginny was the only one there. Standing by the window, she laughed. She pointed out Peeves chasing Umbridge out of the castle, beating her with a walking stick and a sock filled with chalk. Evani stifled a giggle. Ginny helped her pack up her things. She told Ginny she would meet her downstairs. Once Ginny left the room, Aria crinkled her nose. Shadow and Ash appeared. She used a charm to shrink Ash to a much smaller size. Placing him in her tote bag, she went down to the common room with her bags. Shadow followed behind her. He had also grown a bit bigger since the first time she got him in Diagon Alley. Ginny was talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They decided to head down to Hogsmeade. Harry took Evani's suitcase.

"Thanks, Harry"

"No problem"

They left the common room together. As they reached the train station, she saw a long line of students waiting. It felt like hours before the conductor took their belongings. Arms wrapped around her from behind. Draco kissed her cheek.

"I'll see you guys after the train ride"

For a second, she thought Harry looked dejected. She got a compartment with Draco. Some of his friends joined them. She noticed that Seth was not in the compartment. When she asked Draco about it, he claimed that Seth took a portkey back to his home. There was a bitterness in his voice. Adrian shook his head slightly, a signal to not question it. She waited until Draco left to do prefect duty with Pansy.

"Did something happen with Seth?"

"They got in a fight…about you" said Blaise.

"What about me?"

"Seth finally came back this morning. He was just getting his things together. Draco wanted him to apologize about what he did to you in Umbridge's office. Seth said some things…like Draco should enjoy you while he can because once a certain someone gets you, you'll belong to Seth"

"Draco was really angry. He almost hit Seth with a cruciatus curse before Adrian stopped him. We can't really hurt Seth because his dad would kill us" said Cole.

Graham told her not to pay attention to anything Seth said. Seth was the type who believed he deserved anything. She talked with Adrian, Graham, and Cole about being done with Hogwarts. They all got positions in various departments of the Ministry. It was common for most wizards to have some kind of job there. After about an hour, the compartment door opened. Draco was outside. Pansy latched onto his arm. Evani rolled her eyes and read a book from the library. She snuck it out last night during dinner.

"You can sit with me"

"Why would I do that? Pansy, let go"

"It's not like _she_ cares. She's such a bad girlfriend to you"

Evani kept her eyes on the book, flipping the page. "No, Lassie. She just isn't easily threatened. She also knows that her boyfriend prefers pretty girls over dogs"

"Shut up, Rybek!"

Draco shut the door in her face. He sat back down next to Evani.

"I hate prefect duty. It's a waste of time. Pansy just kept trying to kiss me"

"If this is your attempt to get me jealous, it's not working"

Draco playfully glared. He asked her about the book. She told him it dealt with curses. Glancing up, she noticed the guys staring. Adrian said he recognized the book from the restricted section. She closed the book.

"Let me ask you something. Is there a way to break curses?"

"Who's under a cu" started Adrian.

"Irrelevant. Answer the question"

"Any spell can be broken…some just take a lot of work. The stronger the curse, dark magic might need to be involved"

"What's going on?" asked Draco.

"Just curious"

None of them believed her. She smiled innocently. The train came to a sudden halt. The conductor gave them a signal when it was safe to pass through the magical barrier. As she went through the wall, she ended up in the station in the muggle world. A well-dressed woman with platinum blonde hair and crystal blue eyes walked over to them. She hugged Draco. As she pulled away, she looked at Evani.

"You must be Draco's new girlfriend. It's wonderful to meet you in person, dear. He's told me all about you"

Draco blushed. Evani smiled. Unlike his father, his mother was very kind. She wondered if she had been forced to marry his father.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Malfoy"

"We must have you over for dinner over the summer"

"Mom" he hissed, embarrassed.

"I'd like that. I should go find my parents"

Evani turned to Draco. "I'll call you later" she whispered, pecking his cheek.

Her family was with the Weasleys, Moody, Lupin, Tonks, and Anna. Fred and George had on coats made of dragon skin. They seemed to be enjoying life outside of Hogwarts. As she walked over to them, her mother squeezed the life out of her. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were greeted by the large group. Her family introduced themselves. When she met Harry, her mother had a small smile on her face. She remembered that Evani was close with him over the summer. Anna quietly explained that they would go straight to the Oracles from the train station. Evani noticed Serena waiting awkwardly by herself, leaning against a pillar. She went over to her.

"Serena, why are you by yourself?"

"My mom's sending someone to get me…probably one of my dad's stupid followers"

"She's not here for you?"

"Too busy with my brother. If possible, she's spoiling him even more"

"You're not going back there. I don't trust that nutcase. He could kill you and not give a damn. You can stay with me and my family. I'm not talking no for an answer"

Evani brought her over to the group. Moody, Mr. Weasley, and Lupin were speaking with the Dursleys. Mr. Dursley glared slightly. She heard Moody threaten them that Harry should be treated nicely at their home. If they did not get any contact from him within three days, they would handle the Dursleys personally. Mrs. Dursley did a poor job of keeping Dudley hidden behind her. Evani looked at Anna.

"Anna, this is my friend Serena. I want her to stay with me too"

"Evani, I'm not sure"

"Her father's Voldemort. He'd be willing to hurt her and I don't want that" she whispered.

After a minute, Anna nodded. "That would be fine"

Serena thanked her, happily. Evani got crushed by hugs from everybody. Harry held onto her for the longest time. Her friends made her promise to send them letters and text them every day. She followed Anna to an alley between two abandoned buildings. Anna told them to hold onto each other. She grabbed her father's arm. In an instant, they landed inside of the Oracles' home. Serena looked around, amazed. Anna showed them to their rooms. Evani's was the largest room, very ornate with a bed big enough to fit ten people with golden silk sheets, surrounded by sheer gold curtains. As she magically unpacked her bags, her father entered the room.

"I'm sorry we're not at the house"

He chuckled. "It's only for a short while, Evie. Besides, your safety is more important. Your brother doesn't seem to mind. He's already attempting to flirt with some of the women"

"Typical Jayce" she teased.

She hugged him. "I'm happy you're here, Dad. I missed not seeing you every day"

"I missed you too, princess. Why don't we explore a little?"

They left the room together. Serena was at the staircase, hanging up her phone. She looked a little annoyed. Her mother did not take the news well, upset that Serena would just refuse to come home. Serena worried about her father coming after her. Evani assured her that no one could get into the headquarters. Anna gave her, her family, and Serena a tour of the grounds. She showed them a special fountain with magical properties. When a person looked into the water, it showed them their future. She warned them that the future was like a puzzle and never certain. Evani glanced into the fountain. An image formed in the still water. She saw herself in an elegant white gown. There was a tiara on her head. The setting looked like a wedding. Serena asked her what the fountain showed. Evani lied about seeing herself as a doctor. Anna continued with the tour. Evani smiled to herself, excited for what her future held...

* * *

**A/N: This is the final chapter of the story. Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, I am writing a sequel for sixth year. It's going to be called "Shadows and Secrets: Exposed". The sequel is going to start out by delving more into Evani's relationship with her family. In the first story, there isn't much known besides her short interactions with them. Reese is going to be a secondary antagonist in the sequel. Now that his true nature is revealed, he is going to be at odds with Evani. He clearly has an agenda to regain his kingdom and Evani is part of that plan. Reese came from a time where the Pendragons were at their ultimate power, ruling over the wizarding world. He makes an interesting point when he says that choosing dark magic didn't make him a dark wizard. However, he is driven by power just like other dark characters. It's a stark difference between her and Reese that he was willing to kill his own sister while Evani cannot let anyone die for her magic. He does have leverage over her, knowing that she is a Pendragon. She does not want that exposed since Snape mentioned how the Ministries would kill any possible Pendragon descendant to prevent their loss of power. The final scene in this story is another eventual plot. There is going to be a wedding but as Anna said, the future is uncertain. Evani obviously assumes that her wedding will be to Draco but there could be a twist. She only saw herself in the wedding dress, not the person she was with or when the event took place. Also, the detail about her wearing a tiara with the gown is important. **

**Thanks for everyone who read this story. I hope you continue with the sequel. I really appreciate all the feedback I've received. It's helped me with writing the sequels because I learned what was good and what needed a bit more work.  
**


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